Search: Network Rail bus travel
Rail staff are to travel to a conference by coach because trains are too expensive, it has been revealed.
A Network Rail (NR) senior executive decided on coach travel after it was found that taking 200 of the company's staff from Reading in Berkshire to Coventry by rail could cost as much £27,000.
Instead, the staff will travel at a cost of £12 a head by coach, with overall spending being £2,400.
The Sun newspaper said it had seen a memo from an NR senior executive which said: "If we all book our own travel and most of us use trains, it'll cost £27,000 on travel alone."
He added that they would instead take "spacious" buses, costing £12 a head.
An NR spokesman said: "The cost would have been £27,000 if everyone had opted for open return tickets.
"We are a rail company. We like to use trains. At present we are asking people throughout the business to cut costs and when we travel we always look to see just how much journeys cost and if there is a cheaper option. Our staff do not get free travel or discounts."
