Paul Corfield wrote:
And that was in the era of cheap
BR train tickets

Now, of course, it's the era of one of your competitors (Stagecoach, in
the case of London-Pompey/Soton) running a train service where the fares
keep going up* and there being rather lower barriers to entry for a
competing coach service than a competing train service. Plus Network
Rail are unable to bustitute your business at the weekends if you've
already done it.

Tom

* Yes, I know, JohnB, but that's what people think.