Despite its shortcomings I prefer rail travel to using my car. Motorway driving can be a nightmare, particularly if you get trapped between exits by an accident. Crawling through urban areas and paying extortionate parking fees are my other dislikes. At least on the train one can read or look at the scenery: even use your mobile phone/laptop.
The downside is the cost, inconvenient timetables and overcrowding, but on balance I prefer the latter set of circumstances to the former, particularly if travelling a long distance. However I admit that inconvenient timetabling does lead me to the use the car when I would prefer to travel by rail.
A few examples locally: Tunbridge Wells to Brighton, Tunbridge Wells to Maidstone, Tunbridge Wells to Guildford.
Tunbridge Wells to Brighton by train takes two hours, by car just over the hour. Even the bus service is quicker than the train.
Tunbridge Wells to Maidstone requires one change but the service between Maidstone and Tonbridge is only every hour.
Trains between Tonbridge and Redhill are hourly which makes for a long journey time between Tunbridge Wells and Guildford. It is easier to travel between the two via Waterloo, but costs more.
What is needed is for the services to be improved and thereby attract more passengers.
I shall return to these matters in future blogs.
KENT COMMUNITY ACTIVIST: acerbic, carping, caustic, curmudgeonly,critical, cynical, grumpy, moaning, sardonic and plain speaking.
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