Should be fun on final day. No trains from Sheffield so their fans are going from Doncaster and it is too expensive from Sunderland so, you guessed it, they are going from Doncaster as well .

The train services and prices in this country is a joke

gandhisflipflop wrote: ↑

Thu May 15, 2025 9:06 am

The train services and prices in this country is a joke

even beyond a joke!

The idea in the EU was to get people out of their cars so they made transport cheaper and everyone used it .
By far the best are Germany as I recall .
I can't remember but we signed up for a month travel card for something like €25 which could be used anywhere in Germany it worked out well saved that on the first day coming into the city from the airport and to and from our hotel .

Tribesmen wrote: ↑

Thu May 15, 2025 10:06 am

The idea in the EU was to get people out of their cars so they made transport cheaper and everyone used it .
By far the best are Germany as I recall .
I can't remember but we signed up for a month travel card for something like €25 which could be used anywhere in Germany it worked out well saved that on the first day coming into the city from the airport and to and from our hotel .

The idea in the UK is for train operating companies to make as much profit as possible. Ho hum.

TheFamilyCat wrote: ↑

Thu May 15, 2025 10:18 am

The idea in the UK is for train operating companies to make as much profit as possible. Ho hum.

Which can be achieved by minimising investment in new stock, avoiding any significant expansion of the network, ensuring friendly governments keep picking up the tab for their incompetence, keeping trains packed like a sardine can and increasing prices beyond inflation.

Tribesmen wrote: ↑

Thu May 15, 2025 10:06 am

The idea in the EU was to get people out of their cars so they made transport cheaper and everyone used it .
By far the best are Germany as I recall .
I can't remember but we signed up for a month travel card for something like €25 which could be used anywhere in Germany it worked out well saved that on the first day coming into the city from the airport and to and from our hotel .

It's gone up to 58€ a month now, but it's still great value. Was in Berlin last night, and it is so easy to be able to just jump on the public transport without worrying about buying another ticket.

You can't use it on the ICE trains, however they aren't horrendously expensive. I booked a return from Frankfurt to Berlin the day before travelling and it cost me about 150€. If I'd booked in advance, would have been about 80€.

Now, the punctuality is a different matter. They are forever being cancelled and delayed. Scheiße Deutsche Bahn is a commonly heard phrase...

It's gone up to 58€ a month now, but it's still great value. Was in Berlin last night, and it is so easy to be able to just jump on the public transport without worrying about buying another ticket.

You can't use it on the ICE trains, however they aren't horrendously expensive. I booked a return from Frankfurt to Berlin the day before travelling and it cost me about 150€. If I'd booked in advance, would have been about 80€.

Now, the punctuality is a different matter. They are forever being cancelled and delayed. Scheiße Deutsche Bahn is a commonly heard phrase...

Interesting you should post this, I’m heading to Munich for a few days with my son in July and need to get from the airport into the centre. We will likely use the train etc to get around whilst there, what’s the most efficient way of ticketing it?

How they can't just charter 10 or so long trains from the respective stations to Wembley and back, is beyond me.

They could plan the potential routings as soon as the 4 play off teams are known.

dushanbe wrote: ↑

Thu May 15, 2025 11:44 am

Interesting you should post this, I’m heading to Munich for a few days with my son in July and need to get from the airport into the centre. We will likely use the train etc to get around whilst there, what’s the most efficient way of ticketing it?

The ticket I have is called a Deutschland Ticket, and strictly speaking it's a subscription service for German residents. However, as Tribesmen said earlier, I believe it is possible to order one, and then cancel the subscription immediately, so that you only pay for one month.

You'll need to be careful and check the dates and t&c though.

MVV is the public transport authority in Munich, so have a search on there. I think it's about 19 € for a group day ticket looking at their site, that should cover up to 5 adults.

The airport will be more expensive though, as it's a fair way from the centre, I'd imagine around 40 minutes on the S-Bahn.

Yeah the German trains are very cheap (free in many places with a match ticket in fact!) but they are very unreliable.

Happy to stand around for a while when it’s free though

Yep spot on Chris , once you pay up front for the month cancel the next or otherwise it will be charged for it .
The wife still has our details so I guess it would be easy to redesign up again if we were back there again .

JR1882 wrote: ↑

Thu May 15, 2025 1:47 pm

Yeah the German trains are very cheap (free in many places with a match ticket in fact!) but they are very unreliable.

Happy to stand around for a while when it’s free though

Can confirm this is true, I'm currently sat on the ICE from Berlin to Frankfurt, and it is 22 minutes late.
The outbound journey yesterday was initially cancelled, then they got a replacement, then that was half an hour late. Shambles.

ChrisG wrote: ↑

Thu May 15, 2025 1:55 pm

Can confirm this is true, I'm currently sat on the ICE from Berlin to Frankfurt, and it is 22 minutes late.

20250515_145334.jpg

The outbound journey yesterday was initially cancelled, then they got a replacement, then that was half an hour late. Shambles.

Then at the next station all the local ones will be delayed to let the ICE through

JR1882 wrote: ↑

Thu May 15, 2025 1:59 pm

Then at the next station all the local ones will be delayed to let the ICE through

Standard procedure

We spent quite a lot of time last year in Germany following England around the country during the Euros.
To say the trains were unreliable would be a complete understatement.

We travelled on around 30 different trains and only 1 departed on time. We had 6 cancellations and 4 of those were last minute when we had been stood on the platform waiting, no prior notice given.

I thought Avanti were bad but they are streets ahead of the German rail companies.

ŽižkovClaret wrote: ↑

Thu May 15, 2025 1:12 pm

How they can't just charter 10 or so long trains from the respective stations to Wembley and back, is beyond me.

They could plan the potential routings as soon as the 4 play off teams are known.

They could but the respective clubs have to pay for them. I would hate to think of the charges

Out of the 5 times I've tried to get from York to Warrington for work I've only successfully managed it once. Broken down trains / cancelled trains / last minute platform change which I missed as I was already sat on the train (wrong train). I'm also about 40 quid down as I wasn't able to get a refund from Trainline. I'm sticking to my car from now on.

cockneyclaret wrote: ↑

Thu May 15, 2025 2:35 pm

They could but the respective clubs have to pay for them. I would hate to think of the charges

Surely there would be take-up

Targetman wrote: ↑

Thu May 15, 2025 2:30 pm

We spent quite a lot of time last year in Germany following England around the country during the Euros.
To say the trains were unreliable would be a complete understatement.

We travelled on around 30 different trains and only 1 departed on time. We had 6 cancellations and 4 of those were last minute when we had been stood on the platform waiting, no prior notice given.

I thought Avanti were bad but they are streets ahead of the German rail companies.

Aye they are great when they run, but...

I've been to Berlin and back 4 times in the last few weeks, and not one of them was on time.

I was also in Germany for the footy last summer and was surprised how bad the trains were. Think the famous "German efficiency" is just a myth these days.

I have travelled by rail 3 times in the last 8 or 9 months.

The return journey to Dumfries was very reasonably priced and passed without problem.

The outward journey to Cowdenbeath went smoothly. The return journey was a nightmare as all trains were cancelled from Cowdenbeath to Edinburgh which meant I had to rush catching buses to make my connection in Edinburgh. It was reasonably priced.

The outward journey to London was fine. The return journey was another calamity. The train was absolutely rammers and standing room only due to a previous train being cancelled. The price was ridiculously expensive. It was also late arriving back in Preston.

The constant message is that government's, NGOs and bellend celebrities want people to drive less and use public transport.

Until they make public transport cheaper and more available most people will continue to drive.

ŽižkovClaret wrote: ↑

Thu May 15, 2025 1:12 pm

How they can't just charter 10 or so long trains from the respective stations to Wembley and back, is beyond me.

They could plan the potential routings as soon as the 4 play off teams are known.

They'd never get ten chartered trains between scheduled services.