A walkable train ride in Wales has been named as the UK’s most expensive, costing even more than the Luton Dart, which attracted attention for its high cost per mile.
Research by the Independent found that the 0.21 mile journey from Cardiff stations Ty Glas to Birchgrove costs £2.60, which works out as £12.24 per mile.
But the most expensive in London is not far behind the Cardiff link. Blackfriars to City Thameslink, which would take less than five minutes to walk, costs £3.70, which is £11.38 per mile. Both stations are used by millions every year.
The recently opened Dart connection from Luton Airport Parkway mainline station to the airport costs £4.90, making it £3.77 per mile. It attracted attention for its cost at the time but works out as comparatively good value.
Graham Oliver, chief executive of Luton Rising, which owns the airport, said: "Per mile of course it looks expensive, but its value is huge.”
He added: “It connects two important parts. Its value is in the connectivity. There's a station here that's future-proofed. We have a bridge. We have tunnelling. We have a station at the airport."
Ty Glas in Cardiff was used 37,000 times last year as railways recovered after the pandemic while Birchgrove had 17,000. No exact figures are available but it suggests it would not be a common sight to see a passenger journey between the two Welsh locations.
Slightly better value is third on the list which is the journey of three-eighths of a mile from Belle Vue to Ryder Brow in south-east Manchester. This ticket now costs £3, meaning per mile it would work out as £8.
The Independent also found Catford and Catford Bridge stations in south-east London were, at 500 feet apart, the two closest in the UK without a link between them due to the Ravensbourne River.
