It is now almost as cheap to hire a private car for two people travelling between London and Newcastle as it is to take the train in peak hours, much to the disbelief of many.
Lee Williscroft-Ferris said he had been quoted an eye-watering £786 for two return tickets between the two cities, which are primarily served by government-backed rail operator London North Eastern Railway (LNER).
The fare would be over £1,000 had he travelled first class.
Number crunchers have revealed that the same fare would have been £220 had he chosen to fly to and from Heathrow on British Airways, while driving would have set him back just £54.
Even an Uber right competes on price.
A one-way trip from the Toon to the Big Smoke would cost around £564, which is only a snip over what it would cost for two people travelling in first class during peak times.
Taking to social media, Lee shared a screenshot of the quoted prices with the caption: “For a return from Newcastle to London, @LNER are you out of your actual minds?!”
Social media users were quick to comment on the post, with some trying to explain away the high pricing by suggesting it was because he was booking last minute or during peak times.
But other users defended Lee by saying train travel within the UK should never cost hundreds of pounds regardless of where you’re travelling to or when you book.
One person said: “Incoming miss-the-point-merchants assuming it must be departing in the next 14 seconds and/or be cheaper elsewhere with a split ticket or something.
“The fact these prices even exist at any point in the journey means the system is broken.”
Lee explained that he was booking a week in advance, hoping to travel to London on Tuesday and return on Thursday.
With the distance between Newcastle and London being 277 miles, Lee would effectively be paying £5 per mile for a standard ticket and £7 a mile for a first class.
His post received over 26,000 likes and more than 1,500 comments from social media users left speechless by the prices.
One user said: “Train operating companies have long held a licence to print money. It’s utterly obscene.
Another wrote: “I looked at trains to Newcastle for a university open day with son. Cheaper to buy a car and driver there.”
While a third added: “Here is an idea. Flight to Paris, eat a nice lunch. Flight to London, TfL Underground to destination. Quick maths this would be £178.”
An LNER spokesperson told MailOnline: “We haven’t been provided with the full details for this journey.
“However, it appears the prices quoted are for peak time travel during a period of very high demand.
“Alternative trains have much cheaper Advance and 70 Minute Flex tickets available for travel in Standard from Newcastle to London King’s Cross, subject to seating capacity being available.
“We always encourage customers to book as early as possible for best value fares.”
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