Only a special type of individual actively looks forward to train travel. The cramped conditions, lack of WiFi and a general disregard for humanity encapsulated by the offerings of the buffet carriage.
It beats the Megabus, but only just. But it's a hell of a lot more expensive. This eye-watering fare for a two hour journey could be a record though,
One woman took to Twitter after paying £338 ($422) for a standard (yes, standard) opn return from London to Manchester. WTAF?!
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More than the cost of an Xbox One, a meal for two at a Michelin-starred restaurant and my first car. To sit on a train for just over two hours.
Is she being carried on a throne? Being served copious amounts of alcohol? Taking the bastard carriage home with her as a souvenir? All reasonable questions for three hundred and thirty eight pounds. We can all agree with that one, right?
A poll of LADbible readers on Twitter saw more than 10,000 of you have a say on who's to blame.
Sky Sports reporter Martha Kelner called it a 'national disgrace' as she tweeted Virgin Trains about the tickets - which cost more than a flight to New York.
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And people have responded to her in their droves, with many horrified at the amount she was expected to pay.
One said: "For £338 you could have a flight from Heathrow to Moscow direct and a night in the Sheraton Palace hotel, Martha."
Another explained that they'd flown to New York City for less than £338 - a distance of 3,459 miles in comparison to the 161 mile journey from North to South.
Someone else commented: "I'm off to Krakow Xmas market soon. 2 ppl 3 nights accommodation & flights £220. Hopefully you'll have a seat".
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A fourth added: "That is outrageous for a 2 hour train journey, can't understand how more that a 100 can be justified let alone 338".
Advance or off peak single tickets on that route are available for between £35 and £85 a week in advance - but anyone unable to specify the exact time they want to travel faces paying FOUR TIMES the amount. Like poor Martha here.
Writing in the Independent recently, Simon Calder said the Manchester to London to fare - which works out at around £1 a mile at the most expensive rate - felt 'more like an on-the-spot fine than a rail ticket for a two-hour journey.'
A spokesperson from Virgin Trains told LADbible: "This fare allows customers to travel on any service at any time without any restrictions. The vast majority of our customers pay far less, with fares on that route starting at £23.
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"The customer could also have travelled that same day for just £39 by choosing an advance fare."
Featured Image Credit: PATopics: News, Interesting, virgin, Train
