Rail fares to increase by 4.1%

[AdamSaunders]

Hi All,

 

I'm heading out to Perth on my PR visa in a few weeks (1 September 2013). Just sitting here at work in the UK reading the headlines and i noticed this article (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-23677173) claiming UK rail fares will increase by 4.1% this year.

 

I haven't got a job in Perth yet but I am hopeful that I will be living in the northern suburbs and travelling by train into the CBD during the week.

 

For those who have experience of travelling to work in the UK by train and now in Perth; how do the two compare? Is Perth train travel better, worse, more expensive, cheaper etc?

 

Thanks

 

Adam

[portlaunay]

Welcome to PP.

 

I used to commute 8 miles into the centre of London. The journey was expensive, slow, rarely on time or frequently cancelled, dirty, cramped and generally exceedingly unpleasant. Travelling outside of rush hour came with its own set of problems including a worrying degree of personal risk.

 

In comparison, although I don't commute regularly, when I have the trains have never not left on time. I think it's great value, clean, fast and I feel safe.

[AdamSaunders]

Thanks, portlaunay.

 

It sounds as if you had the same sort of commute into London as I have done for far too many years. I certainly won't miss the train journey into London. I am hoping that my journey time to work will be halved...

 

I was in Perth back in June this year and I took a train into the CBD, however, it was around midday so I didn't get a feel for what it would be like in rush hour. Also the temperature was only around 18 degrees that day and I wondered what it would be like in the middle of summer?

 

If anyone has any idea of what the busiest times are on the trains in the morning I'd be keen to know. Also is it hard to get a car parking spot at the station during the week?

 

Many thanks in advance.

[Goat]

Peak hours is about 7 ish to 9 ish and car parking is a mare , though fatty Barnett has put fees on the car parks , depends what station you're at

[AdamSaunders]

Peak hours is about 7 ish to 9 ish and car parking is a mare , though fatty Barnett has put fees on the car parks , depends what station you're at

 

Many thanks, Goat. Sounds similar to London then.

 

I'm sure I will work it out pretty quickly, but good to manage my expectations.

[Bibbs]

I use the train every day. Just under 10km each way.

 

I don't need to park, but there are still free (empty and zero cost) spaces at 6:30 when I get to the station.

 

In the summer the trains are air conditioned. Seats might be hard to find by then, but it's under a 15 min trip.

 

It costs me just over $4 a day.

 

There are occasional cancellations, but when that happens I take the bus. Which is another 100m walk and takes about 15 mins longer. Again they have AC.

 

There are free busses in the city (called CAT busses) but i don't use them. In summer there is also the ferry over to South Perth.

 

They are all run by the same company (not quite true, but it appears that way), so your one ticket works on all of them.

 

There can be a rough element at night, but there seems to be a crack down on this with guards on every train and at every station.

 

Compared to the UK (I lived in Reading, and used the train often to get into town on a night out) it's a doddle. Clean, cheap, frequent, reliable.

 

Also if you go to events (AFL, Rugby, V8s etc.) travel is usually included in the fare, and they put more trains/busses on to handel the extra load (the ALF is most weekends and they'll have an extra 8 trains or so for the hour after the match, even on a Sunday).