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Commuting to Manchester - any way cheaper than the train?

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Surely just driving there is cheaper than train, even considering the price of petrol at the moment. Unless she has to pay for parking in Manchester all day?

Don't believe a word!

Maybe so if you are already running a car and the only percieved cost is fuel...factor in all the other costs of car ownership I'm confident train would compare favourably in cost.

Also wouldn't have to fight with other drivers on the motorway, of course the train means fighting with other commuters instead ;)

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Lib1, surely before taking the job, your mate should have costed things out...anyway it's too late for that now I guess. Driving will be so much more expensive.

 

Multimap says that from the centre of Sheffield to Manchester is a round trop of 84 miles, using the Snake (Good weather permitting, god help her through the winter when it's shut). 420 miles per week. Working on the price of petrol around Sheffield at 94p a litre, a car doing around 40mpg, that will cost 45 quid in fuel alone, then there is the tyres, additional servicing, and possible increased insurance by doing upwards of 20000 miles a year. Then there is to actually park the car which might just cost an arm and a leg unless there is a company who supply a space, but in cities that's getting rarer.

 

At least on the train, you can read, or do some work depending on what type of job it is. I always find the snoozing option helps, especially if i've had a late un the night before!

 

I appreciate the cost of this as i've just had to give up my motorbike commute from Scunthorpe to Sheffield, on the basis of cost, as the train is 80 quid a month cheaper. Admittedly a whole less convienient, but the £££'s speak louder than the rest!

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Ta for the advice. Unfortunately, my friend doesn't drive and the National Express coach times to Manchester are no good for her (the ones that would get her to work on time go via Leeds and take over 3hrs!!!).

 

Looks like the train then! Will tell her to look into the car share scheme though!

 

Lib1

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My colleague drives from Frechville through Sheffield to Manchester via the Snake every morning, he would probably be up for car sharing.

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Hi alchresearch- I've sent you a PM

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I'm with the person who said get a cheap bedsit in Manchester. Commuting takes it out of you and, if she's trying to build a career, it'll look so much more impressive if she's able to stay for those extra few minutes/an extra hour rather than having to rush for a train or to catch her lift home.

 

She's made her bed/sorry, her new life now, by taking on the job. At least do it properly! It's called growing up. I don't mean to sound preachy, but that's what it is.

 

:)

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If he drives to Dore station he can park for free. The only problem is that not all Mcr trains stop there.

 

Yeah in the cramped car park where dehli junction restaurant is where theres never any space or maybe across the road which is a pain to get in the spaces and out of at peak time. Or do as most do and just use the residents car park to the flats next to it and pee all the residents off! when they cant park their own car in view from their own windows etc. (i know someone who lives in that area and despite the fact it says "residents only", apparantley people getting the train think of themselves as residents for the day and park there anyway). I'd say the bigger problem with using Dore station is parking there unless of course people want to follow suit and turn a private residents area into an extended train station car park.

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To SHsheff,

 

My mate owns a home in Sheffield and lives with her husband. Are you suggesing that she should pay her mortgage AND rent a bedsit in Manchester AND only see her partner on weekends?

 

It's not that she can't afford the train fare- we were just wondering if there was a cheaper option that she had overlooked. Besides the trains are v. regular from Shef to Manc, so staying behind/getting in earlier when needed isn't really an issue.

 

Lib1

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To SHsheff,

 

My mate owns a home in Sheffield and lives with her husband. Are you suggesing that she should pay her mortgage AND rent a bedsit in Manchester AND only see her partner on weekends?

 

It's not that she can't afford the train fare- we were just wondering if there was a cheaper option that she had overlooked. Besides the trains are v. regular from Shef to Manc, so staying behind/getting in earlier when needed isn't really an issue.

 

Lib1

 

Ok, so, as a mature, adult, married person, maybe it just seems a little unprepared to me that she hadn't checked out the travel arrangements before she accepted the job.

 

However, I accept your point and will now leave you and her to determine how she will get to and from her new place of work. :)

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I've been commuting from Grimsby to Sheffield for ages and never buy a season ticket for more than a month at a time. When I checked there was no difference in price between a year's ticket and 12 monthly tickets. I tend to buy a month's ticket when I know I'll be going to work most days, but drop to weekly tickets if I've got a week off coming up. Saves having a tciket which covers times when you're not actually using it!

 

Unfortunately there's no magic option to save loads fo cash. It's still much cheaper than using a car once you've taken account of extra servicing, petrol, wear and tear, depreciation, higher insurance, parking etc.

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