I
Ian G Batten
Guest
In article <[email protected]>,
Simon Brooke <[email protected]> wrote:
> don't often travel on the east coast. I'm old enough[1] to remember
> when trains in this country were both affordable and reasonably
> [1] I can *just* remember travelling on a steam-powered Flying Scotsman.
Were the summers always long and the football always exciting, too?
I quote from an analysis I did a couple of years ago over in Sunny
uk.railway land ([email protected]). I've seen no claims
that railways in (say) 1970 were cheaper in real terms than they were in
1932 (for which I did the analysis). If anyone has facts, bring them to
the table now.
Quote:
[...] In September 1932, the LNER were offering weekend special
holiday fares from London to Aberdeen which reduced the full fare of
124/- (6.20 pounds) to 82/9 (slightly under 4.14). (Source: posters on
the wall at Bounds Green station just before opening of the line, in
Desmond F. Croome's ``Piccadilly Line'', ISBN 1-85414-192-9, p31).
According to http://www.eh.net/ehresources/howmuch/poundq.php, that's
355.08 and 236.96 of ``spending power'' in 2001 pounds, respectively.
Price inflation: a factor of 57. However, that doesn't take into
account the fact that wage inflation has been higher than price
inflation since the war. The statutory minimum wage for agricultural
workers in Sep 1932 was 31/3 for a 51 hour week.
(http://www.wirksworth.org.uk/A04VALUE.htm). So he would need to work
for a month at minimum wage to buy a full price return to Aberdeen. The
current minimum wage is 4.20 per hour, so 204 hours at 4.20 is 856
quid. Wage inflation: a factor of 140.
[[ The same book says houses in Southgate were from 600 pounds to over
1000 at the same time. Since anything you might call a house is easily
200K now, house price inflation has been even higher ]]
So, in prices terms, London-Aberdeen full price was 355 pounds today, in
wages terms it was 856 pounds. The boast was ``A Penny A Mile'' --- 240
miles per pound, in other words. If prices have risen by a factor of
57, and wages by a factor of 140, that makes the equivalent cost today
somewhere between 24p per mile and 58p per mile. With fares at those
levels, you can have any damn seats you want. But oddly, no one is
claiming that 140 pounds for a restricted-time, restricted day
London-Birmingham return is what Virgin is aiming for.
ian
Simon Brooke <[email protected]> wrote:
> don't often travel on the east coast. I'm old enough[1] to remember
> when trains in this country were both affordable and reasonably
> [1] I can *just* remember travelling on a steam-powered Flying Scotsman.
Were the summers always long and the football always exciting, too?
I quote from an analysis I did a couple of years ago over in Sunny
uk.railway land ([email protected]). I've seen no claims
that railways in (say) 1970 were cheaper in real terms than they were in
1932 (for which I did the analysis). If anyone has facts, bring them to
the table now.
Quote:
[...] In September 1932, the LNER were offering weekend special
holiday fares from London to Aberdeen which reduced the full fare of
124/- (6.20 pounds) to 82/9 (slightly under 4.14). (Source: posters on
the wall at Bounds Green station just before opening of the line, in
Desmond F. Croome's ``Piccadilly Line'', ISBN 1-85414-192-9, p31).
According to http://www.eh.net/ehresources/howmuch/poundq.php, that's
355.08 and 236.96 of ``spending power'' in 2001 pounds, respectively.
Price inflation: a factor of 57. However, that doesn't take into
account the fact that wage inflation has been higher than price
inflation since the war. The statutory minimum wage for agricultural
workers in Sep 1932 was 31/3 for a 51 hour week.
(http://www.wirksworth.org.uk/A04VALUE.htm). So he would need to work
for a month at minimum wage to buy a full price return to Aberdeen. The
current minimum wage is 4.20 per hour, so 204 hours at 4.20 is 856
quid. Wage inflation: a factor of 140.
[[ The same book says houses in Southgate were from 600 pounds to over
1000 at the same time. Since anything you might call a house is easily
200K now, house price inflation has been even higher ]]
So, in prices terms, London-Aberdeen full price was 355 pounds today, in
wages terms it was 856 pounds. The boast was ``A Penny A Mile'' --- 240
miles per pound, in other words. If prices have risen by a factor of
57, and wages by a factor of 140, that makes the equivalent cost today
somewhere between 24p per mile and 58p per mile. With fares at those
levels, you can have any damn seats you want. But oddly, no one is
claiming that 140 pounds for a restricted-time, restricted day
London-Birmingham return is what Virgin is aiming for.
ian
