People travelling from further away filling the train where the journey begins to make sense from a time point of view.

People who can't drive.

People who can't afford to run a car.

People who are only a 1 car family and the other half is using it for the half mile school run with their fat children

 

That makes no sense if going by train is more expensive than driving.

 

European manufacturers (especially the German one's) have done a wonderful job of convincing folks that diesel is "cleaner". I guess in Europe its also cheaper is it not? So, how can a consumer not be taken in by all the convincing as well as the ease on the pocket book? Truth be known, diesel is the worst of all the "fossil gasolines" in terms of its harmful results. You may not "see" it for the first year, but every diesel engine spews an incredible amount of carbon particles into the air, which either lands on the earth or gets carried in the wind. Last time I looked Carbon was the most devastating carcinogen known to humans - breath enough years of it and you might as well smoke and get cancer that way!! This is like taking all the carbon out of those dinosaurs and putting them back to the surface of the earth!!!
And now they are trying to convince us that "clean" diesel has solved all of those problems!!!

 

I only ever said fuel was cheaper.

Obviously buying, insuring, taxing and maintaining a car costs more than public transport. But if you've covered those initial outlays then only fuel (and wear and tear I guess) is a factor

 

I'm still amused by the train service that runs from Bedford to Bletchley - every time i see it cross the barriers at 6.47am .... it has about 4 people on the entire thing including the driver, how is this even viable.

 

 

With you on this one,plus when I was going to school if you missed the bus,you walked,if you got tired of walking tough because no yummy mummy was going to collect you in her 4be and deliver you to the school gates.....

The alternative was a bike, if it was raining you got wet,tough, once again no pavement off roader to transport you in those days !

Biggest congestion for me was crossing the railway, hundreds of walking,cycling kids waiting for the gates to open after the train had gone !

Result was none, or little, (buses) diesel pollution , kids that were whippet like and fit, not built like brick shi houses that couldn't breathe properly let alone walk 200 yards never mind two miles.

 

 

Trouble is they used to have the lines built until some dipsh*t government department pulled them all up in the sixties. I know a LOTS of people who would be able to use the commuter lines around where I live to get to work... except they are gone now with just track beds left.

Now they all use diesels vehicles to commute 15 miles or so to the city

 

Well in contract law maybe you'd have me, but you also clearly read the post where I said:

So congrats for trawling through the posts to find the technicality I slipped up on

I'd honestly rather you have won the argument calling me on a grammatical error