this post was submitted on 22 Jul 2023
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Europe

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[–] [email protected] -4 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

#Trains are mostly dead to me. Not just because of price, but also price inconsistency¹, the exclusive info systems² & payment shenanigans³.

  1. Train fare from country A to country B can by bought in either country via the national rail provider. Each quote different prices for the same train. (the EU had some agenda to fix this, but apparently it has failed)

  2. Tor users are blocked from even seeing which trains are available, and if that exclusivity doesn’t stop you sometimes there are extra hoops to see the prices.

  3. Cash payers often have to pay much more than online payers (#warOnCash). Complex promos also make a game of it. E.g. there will be a cross-border weekend fare, but you cannot buy that ticket from your departure point. You have to take a train to the bordering town, get off the train, and buy the cheap cross-border ticket in that station, then get the next train.

Buses are:

  • cheaper most of the time
  • have open platforms (no blockade against Tor users or CAPTCHAs)
  • ironically have lower GHG than trains according to British research