Callum Strugnell, from Eaton, outside Norwich Rail Station.
Your reaction: Norwich to London rail passengers blast potential price increases to an ‘already over-priced’ service
David Freezer
Tuesday, August 14, 2012
8:50 PM
Reaction to news of a potential 6pc increase in rail fares between Norfolk and London has, unsurprisingly, not been positive.
Season tickets are expected to rise by at least 6pc from January.Reaction to news of an expected 6pc increase in rail fares between Norfolk and London has, unsurprisingly, not been positive.
Train users arriving back in Norwich spoke to reporter David Freezer at Norwich Rail Station this evening.
Callum Strugnell, a 23-year-old student from Eaton, said he was already fed up with the quality of service provided by Greater Anglia out of Norwich as he regularly travels to and from Bangor University in Wales.
Mr Strugnell, whose journey to north Wales normally takes around six hours, said: “The last five or six journeys I’ve been on have had troubles. It costs me £110 for a return at the moment and if it’s going to go up even more then that just rubs it in.
Damian Sohal, from central Norwich, outside Norwich Rail Station.“One of my last trips had two bus changes and that took ten and a half hours, so I was four hours out of pocket and arrived at one in the morning.
“To find out I’ve got to pay even more just spurs me on to get a driving licence sooner.”
Geoff Webster, a 45-year-old company director from Gresham, near Holt, was similarly unimpressed.
He said: “It’s a pretty poor service. I don’t use it every day but at least one-third of journeys I take are effected in one way or another.
“It’s already over-priced unless you book in advance and you just don’t always know what you are going to be doing in advance.
“What are we going to get for our money if they put the prices up though, that’s what people want to know.”
Damian Sohal, 25, who works in marketing and lives in central Norwich, said: “If they’re putting up the prices then you want to know what you are going to get. Is it going towards running costs or to maintain, or is is going to be used to improve the service?
“If they were to say, ‘we are going to make these changes to this timetable’, then it would be all-right.
“But from what I’ve just experienced coming back from London, it’s a poor service. We grabbed some food and drinks and there were no tables for us to put it on.
“The couple of times I’ve been on the short train from Essex in to London it’s been much better, so to go two hours without a table, I was not very impressed.”
- For more about the price rises, see the links at the top-right of this page.
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7 comments
If you don't like the fare prices, stop your whining and move to London, nobody made you live in Norfolk.
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expat
Wednesday, August 15, 2012
Passengers bemoan the state of the old rolling stock between Norwich and London and I agree it is old and well used but you can sit comfortably. After 40 mins on a Southern train to the south coast you are very uncomfortable the carriages may be much newer but the seats are not built for anything other than short commuter journeys. Ironically by the time the trains reach nearer London the seats are all taken.
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jennifer jane
Wednesday, August 15, 2012
If you don't like the prices, then don't use the service. If the trains are empty, then they'll soon get the message.
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Lord Elf
Wednesday, August 15, 2012
I'm ANGRY with the hike. The service provided by Anglia, National Express and Greater Anglia on the Norwich-London line is poor Rubbish trains forever DELAYED!!!! UPGRADE THE LINE AND TRAINS AND NOT YOUR POCKETS!!!!!!!!
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N.Snelling
Wednesday, August 15, 2012
The worst first class offering on the network. It is not an 'upgrade' by any means. Broken reclining seats, internal doors by the toilet areas which don't close, no refreshment trolley... there is nothing first class about it. Try the service on East Coast out of Kings Cross where you get free meals at your seat and see what I mean.
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a fine city
Wednesday, August 15, 2012
I would welcome this IF we got brand new Intercity Trains for the Main Line, New overhead on the Main Line with an increase in Line Speed, Trowse Swing Bridge doubled and the Essex bottleneck fixed. And don't start me on the local trains
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lowestoftlad
Wednesday, August 15, 2012
MP's and councilors of all colours, are all very quiet over these price hikes...is it because the taxpayer foots their travel costs????
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nrg
Tuesday, August 14, 2012