This twitter thread is by Manchester's Mayor Andy Burnham. Manchester to London by rail is a two hour route and Burnham lists the cost of a open return ticket.<p>As Burnham says, advance booking is not impractical for many people. And when you book in advance for cheaper tickets, there is limited availability. Daily commuters travelling to work pay some of the most expensive rail tickets in Europe.<p>I've posted this before: a monthly season ticket comparison from 2017 for UK and Continental Europe. It bears repeating because the price differences between UK and other countries are shocking (and for us in the UK, pretty depressing).<p>- <i>UK</i>: Luton to London St. Pancras (35 miles) | Monthly season ticket cost: £387 (approx $547/€448)<p>- <i>UK</i>: Liverpool Lime Street to Manchester Piccadilly (32 miles) | Monthly season ticket cost: £292 (approx $412 /€344)<p>- <i>Germany</i>: Dusseldorf to Cologne (28 miles) | Monthly season ticket cost: £85 (approx $120 /€98)<p>- <i>France</i>: Mantes-la-Jolie to Paris (34 miles) | Monthly season ticket cost: £61 (approx $86 /€71)<p>- <i>Italy</i>: Anzione to Rome (31 miles) | Monthly season ticket cost: £61 (approx $86 /€71)<p>- Spain: Aranjuez to Madrid (31 miles) | Monthly season ticket cost: £75 (approx $106 /€87)<p>Source: <a href="https://www.tuc.org.uk/news/uk-commuters-spend-6-times-much-their-salary-rail-fares-other-european-passengers" rel="nofollow">https://www.tuc.org.uk/news/uk-commuters-spend-6-times-much-...</a>