Getting the train to Bristol is now far more expensive than driving

New expensive train fares mean it’s now cheaper to drive from Bristol to London than get the train.

A study by KwikFit Insurance Services has revealed a return train ticket to Bristol from London, at £71.20, is significantly more expensive than driving. Petrol will cost you an average of  £17.28 depending on your car.

It’s not only trains to and from London that are comparably more expensive. The journey from Glasgow to Bristol is £106 cheaper by road, the seventh biggest car travel saving in the country.

Stewart Barnet, of Kwik Fit Insurance, said: “It is difficult to argue the case for train travel on some journeys.

“But when you think about car sharing and family trips, the savings can be even more substantial as people aren’t paying out for a seat per person.”

However, a spokesperson for the Rail Delivery Group, representing train companies and Network Rail, said: “More and more people are taking advantage of a range of good value discount fares that train companies offer, as well as more and faster services.

“The fact is that there are great deals out there for train passengers and people are voting with their feet- the number of all rail journeys has more than doubled in the last 20 years.”

Elodie, a second year neuroscience student, said: “This is really bad because it doesn’t exactly encourage people to use public transport. Considering how much we’re currently messing up the environment, it seems stupid to put more cars on the road. Also for students who can’t also afford car insurance, or the cost of buying a car it seems really unfair. Getting to and from uni is expensive enough already.”