Commuters’ worry as rail fares set to edge even higher
Commuters may have to dig a bit deeper into their pockets, with the cost of a season ticket expected to nudge ever nearer the £5,000 barrier.
Figures released this week show the Retail Price Index (RPI) measure of inflation reached 1.9% last month, which could mean a corresponding rise in rail fees.
Regulated fares, which include season tickets, are capped against the RPI and commuters may see the increase at the beginning of next year. The rise in inflation is being put down to things like the increasing cost of fuel.
It would mean an annual season ticket from Maidstone East to London would go up by £80, from £4,220 to £4,300.
Fares from Headcorn to the capital would increase by £91 a year, up from £4,796, while commuters from West Malling would see a £79 increase.
Whether beleaguered Southern Rail, which operates some services from Tonbridge, will increase ticket prices is not clear, as the government will have the final say.
One of the founders of Bearsted Commuter Group, Helen Judges, said: “It is the same old story every year.
“Fares continue to go up and the service is still a nightmare. We are told the money will be spent on improvements, but we never see them.
“The prices are going up faster than wages, so a greater percent- age of my salary is being spent on transport each year.
“It’s not sustainable and I’m sure some people will just call it quits because they can’t afford to travel up to London by train any more.”
Responding on behalf of Southeastern, Rail Delivery Group chief executive Paul Plummer said: “Nobody wants to pay more to travel to work and at the moment in some areas people aren’t getting the service they are paying for, and we know how frustrating that is.
“But increases to season tickets are set by government. For every pound paid in fares, 97p goes back into running and improving services, and it’s our job to make sure that money is spent well.
“We need to sustain investment to build a modern railway, and money from fares helps us to do this, which is crucial with rail now more important to our nation’s prosperity than at any time since the Victorian era.”