I like to cycle and take the train, instead of driving.

This week, I have the choice of a 2h drive, or 3-3.5 hour, train trip with three changes .

I am driving :(

@neil I have severely regretted taking the train for long distances in the past. The worst one was from Bracknell to Birmingham (via Reading). We booked. We were expecting seats.

There were none available.

It was crowded and over hot, and standing for like ~2h. Disgraceful, really, especially considering ticket cost.

But in my own car, on a comfortable seat, with pollen-filtered air (and aircon) and a podcast on, even in a traffic jam, it'd have been way way better.

@bloor

Neither is ideal, but then my teleporter isn't working yet :(

@neil I do have a cheap, small, ebike now, and even a place to charge it. Have to admit, thought I'd use it heaps, but kind of haven't, yet. It's one with pedals and it "assists" when you pedal, so my understanding is that it's fully legal.

@bloor

I am absolutely addicted to mine - any excuse to ride it!

I particularly like it for getting to the station, then riding around London at the other end. So much more pleasant, generally, than being on the underground.

@neil @bloor Also love riding mine, both to work, around town and to London. Fastest thing through London at 5pm TBH

@bloor @neil Czech trains were a revelation to me.

Capital to 2nd city, 200km & much of the width of the country, at 9PM with no advance booking, was £5 when I moved there. On the 2.5hr fast train. The 3hr slow train would have been about £4.

Now, a decade later, it's more like £10 or £12, but still. Usually plenty of room -- _once_ I had to sit on the floor, in a decade of regular trips. Usually I sit in the dining car and have a (very overpriced, i.e. £2) _draught_ beer.

The rest of Europe's not as cheap but it's close.

In February I went Brussels-Berlin-Prague-Brno (and back to Prague again for the plane) over 4 days. Cost about £200 on Interrail. I am 57 and a regular Interrailer. :-)

Brits are ripped off, and on a scale they do not realise.

@neil @bloor enjoy mine too. My bugbear is that thanks to too many dodgy illegal imported ones my workplace has banned charging due to the fire risk. Which is very limiting cos I have to carry a heavy spare to be sure of range to get there and back (about a 20 mile round trip)

@lproven @bloor Yes, we pay a lot for a not amazing service :(

@neil @lproven @bloor I believe that most of the UK's train companies are owned by Europe's train companies, so I suspect that we may be subsidising (to a small extent) Europe's trains.

@jmtd @bloor @neil

No train I know of is run by students.

Do you mean Student Agency? It's a discount travel company, now rebranded RegioJet.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Student_Agency

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RegioJet

Think of it as being originally targeted at services _for_ students, not _by_ students.

@bloor @neil One you've sunk costs (car payments, insurance, maintenance) into your own vehicle it's hard to justify using public transportation.

@benfulton @bloor

To each, their own - I have a car, and I still prefer to take public transport where I reasonably can.

I can work on the train; I can't work while driving.

I am less tired when I get home after train travel than if I'd driven, for anything more than 45 mins.

I don't have to worry about parking.

I get more exercise if I take the train and cycle,

And so on.

There are, of course, downsides, but I still have a car, and I still use it, just not if public transport is a reasonable option.