Two friends have compared the same journey via bus and plane to expose the delays and inconveniences plaguing the British railway systems.
Narisa and Anji both travelled from Bristol to Edinburgh – and while the air-bound ticket cost £48.98 and only took one hour and 15 minutes, the train fare was a whopping £214.70 and, with delays, took an arduous eight hours to complete.
The pair showed Channel 5’s The Great British Train Scandal – airing at 8pm tonight – how radically different their voyages, which were taken in June 2023, were.
Anji kicked her travels off at 9:36am.
‘I’ve just arrived at Bristol Temple Meads station and I checked the times and it looks like my train to Edinburgh from Birmingham has been cancelled.’ she told the programme. ‘So now I have to try and find an alternative route.’
Narisa (left) and Anji (right) both travelled from Bristol to Edinburgh – and while the air-bound ticket cost £48.98 and only took one hour and 15 minutes, the train fare was a whopping £214.70 and, with delays, took an arduous eight hours to complete
Meanwhile, Narisa’s easyJet flight, set for departure at 11:25am, took off a little early.
‘It took me about 30 minutes by car to get from the city centre to the airport,’ she said. ‘It took me about 15 minutes to get through security.’
At 12:15pm, a train-bound Anji said Narisa texted her to let her know she has landed – when she had another six hours or so left.
Because the train was so packed, Anji – who didn’t reserve a seat from Birmingham to Edinburgh – revealed that not only did she have to change where she sat thrice, but staff were also unable to push food carts down the aisles because of the overcrowding.
After eight hours on the rails and no trolley service, she finally joined Narisa in the Scottish capital at 6:40pm – after initially being scheduled to arrive two hours earlier.
‘My day has definitely been a lot better,’ Narisa told the programme. ‘Got through the airport really quickly and then got a tram right away from the airport into the city centre which took about 30 minutes. And then from then on I just had free time.’
‘My journey was very much less enjoyable,’ Anji said. ‘The train departed from Bristol on time but then the train I was supposed to get from Birmingham was cancelled so I had to just stay on the train which got me like an hour and a half later than I was supposed to get here. I think almost two hours actually.
‘I think honestly I’d never do that journey again if I had the choice – and I’d definitely fly.’
The pair showed Channel 5 ‘s The Great British Train Scandal – airing at 8pm tonight – how radically different their voyages, which were taken in June 2023, were
After eight hours on the rails and no trolley service, she finally joined Narisa in the Scottish capital at 6:40pm
‘Overall it was just not worth that price,’ she added. ‘I might as well have done a long haul flight for that.
‘Obviously it is greener… if I was on it for less time it would be fine.’
Even with Narisa’s additional costs – a £20 cab to the airport and a £7.50 tram into Edinburgh city centre – she still paid less overall (£76.48), and her plane ticket also included seat choice.
Meanwhile, Anji, on top of her fare, also forked out for an Uber to the train station, leaving her with a total of around £227.40 for the whole journey.
Episode one of the show also looked at safety concerns regarding our railways, and saw presenters experiment with just how germ-ridden the London Underground is.
Even with Narisa’s additional costs – a £20 cab to the airport and a £7.50 tram into Edinburgh city centre – she still paid less overall, and her plane ticket also included seat choice
A Department for Transport spokesperson told the programme: ‘Our trains played a vital role in assisting key workers throughout the pandemic.
‘Passenger numbers have doubled under privatisation, underlining that a reformed partnership between the private and public is the best model for the future.’
Meanwhile, Network Rail said that they ‘have been working to ensure that structure examinations are up to date’ and ‘recognise there is still work to be done’. They also claimed they’re ‘liaising with the ORR to get back on track’.
And The Rail Delivery Group said: ‘The increase in government subsidies during the pandemic reflects the unprecedented challenges faced by the industry.
‘It is committed to working towards a more reliable service.’
It added that train operators are paid on a performance-related fixed fee basis of 1.5 per cent.
The Great British Train Scandal, airs tonight at 8pm on Channel 5.
