Railways getting their act together?
I have to go to Brussels from Doncaster quite frequently and until now have never considered anything else but a train to MAN then an SN Brussels/Brussels Airways flight. Service on both train and plane has always been fine.
Suddenly there has been a price hike on the MAN-BRU route - it used to fluctuate between £110-£135, but now has jumped to £160 at least, booking ages in advance, so somebody suggested I considered going by train. After I stopped laughing - after all, who wants to have to book GNER and Eurostar tickets separately, and go from Kings X to Waterloo invoving a Tube change - the kind person pointed out that Eurostar now departs from St Pancras, and through fares were bookable on the internet from English regional stations.
So I looked it up, and to my surprise, it is now quicker and cheaper by rail - £128 not £180 by rail/air, with all seat reservations included.
I think if the railway industry can get its act together, it will be great for the airlines - it will free up more space. The Channel Tunnel route is underused at the moment. On the other hand a massive increase in capacity will be needed on other rail routes, which I can't really see coming.