How far in advance do you book for that rate? I used to get rates ~£80 return when a used to get 20% off advance tickets (one of the benefits of the old East Coast rewards scheme, which is different to the current one).

Still a little over £100 for an advance ticket is still excellent value. I still miss the ability to get a three course restaurant meal on the train, but the food East Coast currently provides is a lot better than you'd get on a 3 hour flight.

Of course these prices are restricted tickets, but it's the same if you were paying that sort of money for a flight, you'd have to travel on your booked service.

What I find excellent value is the Scottish Executive package. £229 gets you a ticket that's tied to a specific train outward, but fully flexible (any train within a month) on the return, for most business travellers flexibility on the return is the greatest advantage in case meetings overrun or finish early and great for the leisure traveller if they want flexibility as to their duration in London.

To be even more business friendly, it's a standard class ticket - to fit in with travel policies - but with a 'free upgrade' to first class. The ticket itself has Class: STD, but is accompanied with an upgrade voucher valid both ways. The only drawback to this is that if you're re-routed onto another train company they can probably insist you travel standard class.

It's a shame there's no similar ticket NCL-KGX. I'd pay the extra £100 over the advance ticket in many circumstances for the flexibility. But the current fully flex first class ticket prices are too high to justify.

It'd be great to have an affordable turn up and go long distance rail network.

The only train services I'd rate travelling on over driving or flying are East Coast (both classes), Virgin (first class only, would actively avoid them in standard - due to cramped seating and poor luggage space), First Great Western (believe it or not - but only trains that are running a proper catering service) and the Caledonian Sleeper (not tried the Cornish one). I've not tried Chiltern or Grand Central so can't comment on that.