Sorry Korrol, you missed my point.
Just why should the train be sharply more expensive? If we are to subsidise means of transport, let's subsidise those that benefit the most people.
My 'sneering' is absolutely not because I fear the route is for 'ordinary mortals' - rather that the same 'ordinary mortals' are having to massively subsidise a service for the few, who in rather a lot of cases are AMs on the move. I am sure said 'ordinary mortals' would rather see the well heeled paying a little more for their trip, and their taxes being used to pay for schools, doctors and other rather more widely used services.
To call the NS Airlink a success based on the number of passengers is disingenuous - I rather like the analogy of someone opening a TV shop, and selling flat screens for twenty quid. You'll sell loads, but that doesn't make it a successful business.
Set the fares starting at a premium over the train - let the passengers pay for the speed. Move it towards a commercial footing so that the day the subsidy stops, the route carries on. Right now, no subsidy means no route, and that cannot be good for the future of the service.
TA