Hm Forces Railcard
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Hm Forces Railcard
Just renewed a Forces Railcard for the princely sum of £10 for the year; good value for money, I reckon, but why the 400% increase in price from last year!!!!!
And when did they announce that
stealth tax?
Foldy
And when did they announce that
stealth tax?Foldy
Join Date: Jun 2005
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IIRC, the cuts to leave travel allowances that were made several years ago were softened by our ability to get free rail travel cards. So this is just another example of erosion of our overall pay and allowances package. Oh, if only we had someone to fight for us! At the moment our "package" seems to be under attack from all sides and who do we have to represent us?! 
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The increased costs of the cards was in SROs several months ago and I opted out.
The provision of 'free' rail cards is a commercial consideration by the rail companies who agreed to carry on this concession originally set up with BR. They were under no obligation to offer the cards and, like National Bus, clearly see a business case for the concession.
As I, and I am sure many others, had the card purely as a standby they were not getting any profit from me, hence the need to increase the fee. Next time I need a card I shall apply for one at the time.
The provision of 'free' rail cards is a commercial consideration by the rail companies who agreed to carry on this concession originally set up with BR. They were under no obligation to offer the cards and, like National Bus, clearly see a business case for the concession.
As I, and I am sure many others, had the card purely as a standby they were not getting any profit from me, hence the need to increase the fee. Next time I need a card I shall apply for one at the time.
Below the Glidepath - not correcting
I'd completely forgotten how much leave you get in the Military. Clearly you would need it all to even consider trying to get anywhere by train these days.
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Has anybody recently managed to obtain the Forces National Express bus card?
I had one years ago but recently enquiring at PSF I was told they didn't know how to get hold of them, if indeed they are even still issued.
I had one years ago but recently enquiring at PSF I was told they didn't know how to get hold of them, if indeed they are even still issued.
Below the Glidepath - not correcting
Gorilla,
As a youngster, years of trying to get between exotic places like Gloucester and Oakington by rail scarred me sufficiently and the privatization of the network simply made a piss-poor service unworkable. As for the roads, the A303 roundabout at Amesbury on any given Friday afternoon, the old A1 Doncaster roundabout before they "motorwayed" it; and of course the glory and majesty of the M25 between the M3 and the M4 at any time, are just some of the highlights of the UK's transport infrastructure that made my decision to move somewhere with a lot less traffic that much easier. Every time I am back in the UK on business it takes the 12 miles going from Gatwick to the M25 to remind me how much the transport system sucks. Mind you, that is somewhat balanced by the fact that every tw*t on the roads over here is a congenital idiot with a death wish.
As a youngster, years of trying to get between exotic places like Gloucester and Oakington by rail scarred me sufficiently and the privatization of the network simply made a piss-poor service unworkable. As for the roads, the A303 roundabout at Amesbury on any given Friday afternoon, the old A1 Doncaster roundabout before they "motorwayed" it; and of course the glory and majesty of the M25 between the M3 and the M4 at any time, are just some of the highlights of the UK's transport infrastructure that made my decision to move somewhere with a lot less traffic that much easier. Every time I am back in the UK on business it takes the 12 miles going from Gatwick to the M25 to remind me how much the transport system sucks. Mind you, that is somewhat balanced by the fact that every tw*t on the roads over here is a congenital idiot with a death wish.
Inter Arma Enim Silentius Lex Legis
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Two
Can't really disagree with that, round my way the roads are full of Iraqi and Kurds who buy a cheapcar for £100. They don't insure, tax or MOT it neither do they bother with a licence. When the odd thick policeman actually catches one they end up with a £40 fine! Not going to tax or MOT mine from now on!!
Trains are improving though somewhat slowly. In excess of £10 billion of purely public money is being thrown at it yearly as well as some private TOC cash.
Pax numbers are up by 4% PA and in my area 6 to 7% PA, that's a lot of people not on the roads!
Can't really disagree with that, round my way the roads are full of Iraqi and Kurds who buy a cheapcar for £100. They don't insure, tax or MOT it neither do they bother with a licence. When the odd thick policeman actually catches one they end up with a £40 fine! Not going to tax or MOT mine from now on!!
Trains are improving though somewhat slowly. In excess of £10 billion of purely public money is being thrown at it yearly as well as some private TOC cash.
Pax numbers are up by 4% PA and in my area 6 to 7% PA, that's a lot of people not on the roads!
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I think we reside not far from each other Gorilla...
I too am sick of playing dodgems with the rest of the world that has moved nearby so next week I'm taking the train!
Now armed with railcard it's cost me £43 to get to the Lakes and back...If I drove it would be circa £70...
There are no changes and I'll get in 2.45 hours later...If it's delayed I won't much mind as it has historically taken me up to 6 hours of joy in my car via the M6 car park...
I will be partaking of a beverage and some cheesy combustibles and may even stretch my legs...Difficult to do in my car unless I pull into 'Stand and Deliver' services...
Its been a while but to be honest I'm looking forward to it...Can't be any worse than the motorways these days?
I too am sick of playing dodgems with the rest of the world that has moved nearby so next week I'm taking the train!
Now armed with railcard it's cost me £43 to get to the Lakes and back...If I drove it would be circa £70...
There are no changes and I'll get in 2.45 hours later...If it's delayed I won't much mind as it has historically taken me up to 6 hours of joy in my car via the M6 car park...
I will be partaking of a beverage and some cheesy combustibles and may even stretch my legs...Difficult to do in my car unless I pull into 'Stand and Deliver' services...
Its been a while but to be honest I'm looking forward to it...Can't be any worse than the motorways these days?
Below the Glidepath - not correcting
I was in Abbotsford, Canada, the other week which is about 30 miles East of Vancouver. My colleague dropped me off at the bus stop, 12 minutes later the bus took me 5 miles to the monorail station, where I caught the monorail to downtown Vancouver. Took me 42 minutes to go 28 miles and all for $8 CDN (and it was all relatively new and clean). Now I know its a bit unfair to compare the UK with the engineering and transport infrastructure might of Canada, but I couldn't help thinking that here is a country that is trying to get people around by using public transport sensibly. More importantly, the other passengers were not care in the community cases or tramps, unlike in the USA.
Now all the old bastards quote the damage done by Dr Beeching's cuts to the rail network, which is undoubtedly true, but it was also 40 frickin' years ago! Could some Government in the intervening period not have thought about reactivating/building some of those branch lines that used to provide such a sterling service?
Sorry to ramble, I'll get my tartan flask and anorak and get the numbers of those trains that don't run anymore.
TI
Now all the old bastards quote the damage done by Dr Beeching's cuts to the rail network, which is undoubtedly true, but it was also 40 frickin' years ago! Could some Government in the intervening period not have thought about reactivating/building some of those branch lines that used to provide such a sterling service?
Sorry to ramble, I'll get my tartan flask and anorak and get the numbers of those trains that don't run anymore.
TI
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Beching what a far sighted idiot.
Can't get most of the line back cause some git has built housing over parts of it. Either that or some by pass has taken the track bed and you know how long it takes to get expansion approved by gov and planning and green groups. Just look at cross rail. By the way as no longer qualified for Rail card I travel up M4 from Bristol to Slough and its actually cheaper to use the car. Plus as I am Network R@il and joined after R@iltrack finished I don't get any perks at all from travel. Unless you count 40% off season ticket of £6600 but in actuality limited to a Max of £2260 not £2640, And even then it would still be cheaper to use the car.
PS whatch ya Gorilla if you ever make it to my patch, boy are you lost!!
Trap One
PS whatch ya Gorilla if you ever make it to my patch, boy are you lost!!
Trap One
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I'm fast approaching 60. Enquiries with railways for return jourmey to London, which takes 1 hour each way, produce cost of between £37 and £82. Enquiiries with National Express for same, journey 2 hours each way, £7.85 return. No contest and you get a bus lane on the M4 past Heathrow.
Inter Arma Enim Silentius Lex Legis
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Aye up trap one knowing you as I do I have told all my mates to avoid your PSB!
I thought you guys got the same free travel perks as us non protected guys?
We only built the railway in the first place by plundering the world's wealth, we called it Empire! The latest cost analysis for a new line to go from London to somewhere in t'north would cost an entire years Defence Budget!
I thought you guys got the same free travel perks as us non protected guys?
We only built the railway in the first place by plundering the world's wealth, we called it Empire! The latest cost analysis for a new line to go from London to somewhere in t'north would cost an entire years Defence Budget!
And, DON T, you also get a guaranteed seat which is more than you get on the apology for a railway system these days.....
Occasionally I have to go up to The Smoke; however, it is impossible to park at the local railway stations so I have to drive to Didcot.... Car park and cheap day return (including tube travel) is £24 which is fine - except for the dreadful service back again in the evening!
Occasionally I have to go up to The Smoke; however, it is impossible to park at the local railway stations so I have to drive to Didcot.... Car park and cheap day return (including tube travel) is £24 which is fine - except for the dreadful service back again in the evening!
I don't own this space under my name. I should have leased it while I still could
Oh sure...... Park the car on the side of the road for some ne'er do well to steal. Great idea, that.
First try actually getting to Oxford - or preferably past it! Driving to Didcot is on back roads, so the trip is reasonably easy. The useless, non-integrated travel system in the UK doesn't have buses which meet trains either, so if I walked to the bus stop it'd be pot luck as to whether the bus could get me to the Cotswold line station on time....and there are few trains from there. Oxford itself? YGBSM!!
Back to the topic of Forces rail travel, one used to be able to buy 'Forces Leave' tickets at a substantial discount (about 33% off) but that perk disappeared when the military salary came in.
First try actually getting to Oxford - or preferably past it! Driving to Didcot is on back roads, so the trip is reasonably easy. The useless, non-integrated travel system in the UK doesn't have buses which meet trains either, so if I walked to the bus stop it'd be pot luck as to whether the bus could get me to the Cotswold line station on time....and there are few trains from there. Oxford itself? YGBSM!!
Back to the topic of Forces rail travel, one used to be able to buy 'Forces Leave' tickets at a substantial discount (about 33% off) but that perk disappeared when the military salary came in.