Trainline troubles: The reality of the commuting nightmare for students

After months of personal statement writing, the dedicated savings pot to fund your course, and the mammoth task of completing A Levels, it seems ironic that the biggest grievance facing students is the commute to get there. Although the metaphorical ‘journey’ to university is a tough one, the physical transport is another kettle of fish. Whilst I am no stranger to voicing my issues with Warwick University’s less-than-perfect bus service, spending a solid fraction of my day begging the bus won’t take the long route through Kenilworth, my irritations nowadays reside upon getting to the actual university itself.

Regrettably, my hometown resides in the North East, a testing four-hour distance from Warwick University. As a consequence, I cannot say I am as proud of the train services, despite my patriotism for the North being something I rarely shy away from. The ‘Father of the Railways’, George Stephenson, originated his great work of engineering, the ‘Rocket’, a mere 10-minute drive from my house, with the Stephenson Railway Museum being a go-to classic for school trips and days off in my childhood. Whilst spending a childhood being indoctrinated by the power of the steam engine, I am now a dedicated hater of Cross Country and wince at my bank account when I have to pay £100 to fund my reading week journeys back home.

No one wants to spend £100 on unreliable services, littered with delays and platform changes

I feel I would be playing into the typical student stereotype by complaining about this, but ease when travelling to university should be a given, and importantly reliable. Not only are students forking out a pretty penny to pay their travel expenses, but they are also negotiating between strikes, storms, and cancellations, contributing to a simmering pot of stress already present in students’ daily lives. In a study for Time Out magazine, it was claimed that Newcastle Central Station ranks fourth in the ‘UK’s worst train stations for cancellations’ ranking, which begs the question, why do I put myself through these hellish journeys?

My experience of train travel from the North East is a rarity amongst the Warwick student cohort, with the majority of students residing in London and the South of England. Whilst I am jealous of the Avanti West Coast’s swift service, taking an hour to get to Euston Station, I am not jealous of the inflated prices for a service that is notably quicker and more reliable. Train travel has become so expensive that it would be cheaper to fly to these bustling UK destinations. For instance, flying to Edinburgh from London is considerably cheaper than the matching train journey to Glasgow. With transport being essential to the daily lives of Brits, and train travel contributing only a third of the CO2 emissions that plane travel does on domestic flights, these inflated prices are not only coming at a cost for commuters but also for the planet itself. It is no wonder that people are opting to fly over trains with the patience of commuters wearing thin – no one wants to spend £100 on unreliable services, littered with delays and platform changes.

The body of student commuters who face these journeys on a regular basis will only be left with a sour taste in their mouth when combating issues in order to merely get home

The price crunch on train travel, and their lack of reliability, has led to my friends and I often begging that trains would be delayed for up to 30 minutes, meaning we would be in our right to claim a refund. Dreadful as it sounds, and apologies to Trainline, it has become a necessary consequence for students travelling to university on a tight budget. For those living in faraway places, train travel is crucial when choosing to enroll at a university a bit more out of the way, and not everyone has the luxury of driving a car or getting a lift to their destination. Surely this is a telling sign that the UK’s train lines are truly suffering, and one of our key transport services needs a long-awaited facelift. On my commute to university from Leamington Spa for nearly two years, the once picturesque views of the countryside surrounding the area have been marred with the arrival of the HS2 link, hoping to travel underneath the existing Coventry and Leamington Spa stations. Whilst this hopes to bring more efficient travel to the area, I am left with a constant reminder of doubt, considering my experiences of train travel have been nothing close to glamorous in recent years.

I am left with the question: what needs to change? And quite frankly, I don’t know what will happen in the next few years. Although trains (if you can get a seat), can be a useful journey to get out your laptop and be productive, they are nevertheless a hub of stress and anxiety and often put me off the prospect of going home for various holidays. Whilst our nation was once overjoyed by the introduction of train travel, the body of student commuters who face these journeys regularly will only be left with a sour taste in their mouth when combating issues to merely get home.