RAIL

AN outcry about inflation-busting hikes in train fares at the beginning of the year highlighted concerns about the financial pressures on the rail network.

Commuters dogged by widespread delays, cancellations and strikes saw average fares rise 3.4 per cent.

Critics complain about decades of scant funding under both Labour and Tory-led governments. Network Rail last year complained it was facing the biggest funding shortfall since the

financial crisis in 2008.