Rail Travel
Rail Travel Development of the rail industry Before the introduction of the car, and later of air transport, train was the main way domestic tourists used to travel. The UK’s cities used to be linked to its seaside resorts by an extensive rail network and most holidays were taken by train. ... When the car was introduced and became popular in the early 50’s less people started to travel by train because with a car you had more freedom to travel were you wanted and not just between stations. ... In 1987 new hope was brought to the rail industry as the contract for the building of a undersea tunnel linking the UK to mainland Europe (the Channel Tunnel) and its rail network. This would be the first time international rail travel would be possible for people in the UK. ... In 1995 privatisation of British Rail began, this meant that instead of one government owned rail operator, different areas would be have their own private rail operators. ... British Rail had completely disappeared by 1996 and the whole British rail network had been taken over by private companies. ... Monorail systems are also becoming widely used across the world, mainly used as internal transport systems within a city, they allow commuters to travel across the cities fast and cheaply. The fall in demand for rail services in the UK is not solely because of the popularity of cars and air travel; it is also because of lack of funding and development of the current network. It has a poor public image mainly due to high media coverage of rail crashes and word of mouth that trains are never on time and are often delayed. ... Characteristics of the rail industry The use of rail has changed dramatically since 50 years ago. Instead of being used for travel to go on holidays, it is mainly used nowadays for commuters who need to get to work, or live outside the cities and need to get into the centres. This is mainly because it has become expensive to travel long distances on trains so people usually use a different method of transport like a car to go on holiday. Also many of the old popular seaside resorts are not served by rail anymore as they were not considered cost effective as the were not popular routes all year long in the 1960’s. Rail suits commuters well because they usually are fast and direct to their destination, there is not any traffic and they can buy annual passes to reduce the cost of travel over this period. Many business travellers use rail as well because it is comfortable, has lots of facilities and operate between the main cities in the UK and Europe (via the Channel Tunnel). ... ) · Virgin Trains (West Coast Trains Ltd) · Wales and Borders · WAGN · Wessex Trains Travel by train also suits business travellers because there are different classes on which they can travel. A person using the train everyday for a short journey would probably travel by standard class, this is usually just a seat, and some trains also have a buffet car for their use as well as a toilet. This is normally the class that most people would travel on, as it is cheaper. If a business traveller was travelling on a longer journey, for example Exeter to London or London to Paris, and they could afford the higher price, they probably would travel in first class. ... There are also a range of tickets and cards available for travel on trains. ... · Season Tickets- valid for any period of time, from a week up to a year for one route · Saver ticket- Valid for travel on any day of the week for certain times of the day (off peak) return tickets are valid for a month up to the date on the ticket · Super-saver- not valid for travel on peak days like Fridays, or Saturdays and bank holidays in the summer · Cheap day return- usually only valid after 09.30, off peak time of rail travel · Super advance or APEX – purchased in advance (virgins must be at least 1 week) of travel, restricted changes and valid only on certain days and routes There are also a variety of rail cards that give customers discounts on travel when they are purchased.