The Train Companies Should Stop Taking Advantage Of The Travelling Public

I regularly use the railways to travel in and out of Chester-le-Street and Durham. Travelling by train is, at its best, a relaxing and rewarding way to travel.

But there is nothing more galling than the fact that the train operating companies so frequently take advantage of their travellers.

Rather than improve the experience for their customers they invest big money in installing ticket barriers and empowering over officious ticket collectors.

They have increased fares by a grotesque amount almost every year for the past decade. These fares are increased at the same time as customers swelter in non air conditioned trains with malfunctioning toilets. When the train companies were told that they needed to cut their fares to follow inflation, their squeals could be heard up and down the country.

At the same time, the train companies are happy to see customers who have paid extortionate amounts hunched over their luggage in the ‘vestibules’ as there are no seats left on the train.

Ah, say the train companies, why not reserve a seat and then you will not have to stand for a long journey.

But now the train companies even charge you for the ‘pleasure’ of reserving a seat and not having to stand. National Express now charge you £2.50 for each seat reservation.

To put it bluntly, this is a disgrace. On so many trains, to get a seat you need to make a reservation. To make a seat reservation you now need to pay for the pleasure.

It is about time that the train companies started to think about how to improve customer service and the experience for travellers, rather than how to make more money out of the travelling public. It is shameful that the railway companies are trying to squeeze every last drop of cash out of a long suffering travelling public. To do so during a recession is beyond disgraceful.