In message , at 08:39:16 on Thu, 28 Sep
2017, remarked:

Manchester has a vast railway network

Vast compared to what? There are large parts of the north and south of the
city and satellite towns/suburbs that arn't anywhere near a train station.

Compared to other big cities outside London (other than perhaps
Birmingham and Glasgow).

This map gives a good birds eye view of the phenomenon:

http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/static...temaps/nationa
lrailoperatorsmapZoom.pdf

Train users in London, like yourself, are paying for much of it.

I pay for a lot of things in my taxes that I never use. Thats how taxation
works.

Londoners are paying in their fares. On latest available figures, about
9p per passenger mile on Southern and SWT (as was) being an excess
shunted off to subsidise lines like Northern (receiving 30ppm more than
the national average) and TPE.
--
Roland Perry