How much do trains cost per mile UK?

In this new age of needing to find alternative modes of transport to encourage people away from buying cars, then the cost of a train ticket needs to be addressed. In January 2019, a report into the cost of train travel identified that people in the UK pay 54 pence per mile on train journeys.



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Every year, as train prices go up, car rental becomes a better option for budget travelers in Europe. While solo car travel is expensive, three or four people sharing a rented car will usually travel cheaper than the same group using rail passes.

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Nowhere in Europe is the cost disparity between rail and air travel more pronounced than in the U.K., according to the research. Across the continent, trains are on average twice as expensive as flying, but in the U.K. they are four times more expensive, the research notes.

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Are rail passes a good value for Great Britain? Since Britain's pay-as-you-go train tickets are some of the most expensive in Europe, rail passes can pay for themselves quickly, especially if you travel between London and Scotland.

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While rail workers have had their pay frozen in the same period, DfT data shows that the private train operators made £310 million in taxpayer-funded profits between March 2020 and September 2022.

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Build costs in the UK are higher. This is partly because we have higher costs associated with design. It is also because our sector is particularly reliant on subcontractors. Little more than an eighth of the UK construction workforce is permanently employed, according to the Construction Products Association.

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A 2016 study for the government by PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP cited an early estimate of £81 million per kilometer for the capital cost of HS2's second phase (before the axing of the Leeds route).

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The longest UK train journey is Aberdeen to Penzance. Covering 785 miles, this train journey takes about 13 hours and 20 minutes to complete (give or take a few minutes). It has 36 stops and spends about two hours in total waiting for passengers to embark and disembark at each railway station along the way.

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Get Simon Calder's Travel email Some reports have claimed that the new £300m “Dart” link between Luton Airport Parkway station and the terminal is priciest. The fare for the 1.3-mile journey is £4.90, which works out at £3.77 per mile.

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Norway is the most expensive country for train travel as a passenger must pay €50.40 to travel between Oslo to Kongsvinger with a return.

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Per mile, the New York project cost $2.6 billion, which is high even by U.S. standards. For example, the Purple Line in Los Angeles cost $800 million per mile.

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Who owns and runs the UK's railways? Britain's rail network was first nationalised by Labour Prime Minister Clement Attlee in 1948 and then privatised again under Sir John Major's Conservatives in 1993. Network Rail, which runs railway infrastructure in England, Scotland, and Wales, is publicly owned.

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1. Switzerland. Switzerland is known for being a really expensive place to live, so it's not too surprising to see that they were the number one most expensive country for public transport fares.

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