Perhaps I should get out more. Over the penultimate weekend before Christmas, I am poring over a spreadsheet that runs for more than 8,000 lines. But it is important to check the working of a campaign group called Transport & Environment (T&E).
You may not have heard of this Brussels-based organisation until this week, when it announced: “The three most expensive rail operators in Europe are the ones operating totally or partially in the UK – Avanti West Coast, GWR and Eurostar.”
The report compared the prices of tickets across Europe. It triggered headlines such: “UK rail fares are now officially the most expensive in all of Europe.”
Given the painfully high cost of travelling in Switzerland, I was surprised by the report’s conclusion. To T&E’s credit, it makes the raw fares data readily accessible.
My first sweep of the research identified a glaring error: a claim that the fare for a mid-afternoon Avanti West Coast train from London Euston to Milton Keynes, booked a week ahead, is £74.90. The actual fare for this 50-mile, half-hour hop: £17.10.
I raised this discrepancy with T&E, which insisted its research was accurate. Victor Thevenet, the rail policy manager and author of the report, told me: “Data collection was carried out in August for September ticket sales. At the time of data gathering, we found prices ranged from £15 to £74.”
This came as a surprise to Avanti West Coast; a spokesperson said: “There has never been a £74.90 fare offered by us between Euston and Milton Keynes.”
As it happens, you could pay £74.90 for a ticket from London to Rugby. That is a scandalously expensive fare, in my opinion, for an 82-mile trip. But that particular journey is not included in the survey.
Mr Thevenet said: “We are doing further checks to certify these prices and we are committed to looking into the data. We will address any potential issues with the utmost urgency.”
Well, on Saturday afternoon I identified another potential issue, and asked the organisation to investigate.
Between Zurich and Winterthur in Switzerland, the standard one-way fare is 13.40 Swiss francs (£12). There is no way of getting a cheaper deal by booking in advance. But according to the T&E survey, the fare is just 6.70 Swiss francs (£6). So what is going on? Well, while I wait for a response from T&E, I…
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