The UK railway system is a disgrace

[alittlebitfrench]

Once upon a time, the UK had the best railway in the world. Now, it must be the worse.

http://news.sky.com/story/football-fans-56-ticket-rail-journey-to-save-money-on-train-fare-10751453

Seriously, what is going on ?

[Gardengirl]

Our ticketing system definitely needs sorting out. But it's something many/most people have been aware of fir a very long time - we've bought point to point tickets and made good savings, as have many friends/family.

Of course, not all other rail systems are whiter than white; very many tourists have been tricked by sncf re-routing them to raileurope, to the detriment of their wallets for many years.

[AnOther]

Once upon a time UK had the pretty much the best everything in the world.

Sadly it's fallen to but a pale shadow of it's former glory and there is very little 'great' about it now and we're all responsible for that in part.

[andyh4]

France is not lily-white either, but it does look as if it will also start to get its act together.

http://sncfsociety.org.uk/Site/February_2017_News.html

right hand side:

Voyages SNCF to sell tickets at TER rates

[Gardian]

Well, the UK once had the most extensive system, but not necessarily the best.

The last 25 years have seen massive changes in the railway industry worldwide. The UK has benefitted enormously, although it might not seem like that to a 'Southern' commuter! The ticketing fiasco apart, you can now travel in the UK on (generally) clean & comfortable trains which are frequent & affordable - provided that you're able to plan your trip well in advance. For example, I expect to be able to book a single tkt from Bristol - Reading (3 mths out) for not much more than a tenner. Cross country services (e.g. South/South West - Midlands / North) are far more frequent and faster than ever before.

May I attempt to summarise my views on UK vs French Rail:

UK plusses

The network as a whole - still more comprehensive than most.

Frequent, reliable & comfortable inter city and cross country services.

Some commuter services a transformation from the 'old' (Chiltern Trains as an example).

Cheap off peak tickets, provided you can plan ahead.

Safety: happily, accidents are now rare.

UK minuses

Mad ticketing.

Some commuter routes, which suffer from an infrastructure which is almost impossible to improve (overloaded).

Cost of 'walk-up' tickets.

French plusses

Obviously, theTGV network. Typically, France didn't faff about and built something which really works and attracts customers.

Cleanliness (onboard & in the stations) - always pretty good in my experience.

French minuses

Poor cross country network (availability + frequency).

Onboard catering - not dissimilar to the UK, but particularly weak on TGV services.

SNCF website - a nightmare!

So in summary, my view is that the UK is a long way from being a disgrace and its wrong to judge it on the ticketing nonsense and the genuine commuter problems suffered by some.

It could be better, but its a lot better than it used to be.