Kentish Gazette Canterbury & District
Train season tickets could rise by £97
Canterbury commuters travelling to London face a possible fare hike of almost £100 a year from January.
Figures released last week show the Retail Price Index (RPI) went up 1.9% last month, sparking fears of a corresponding rise in regulated train fares.
It could mean the price of an annual season ticket from the city to London increasing by £97 to £5,215.
The Rail Delivery Group, which represents train operators and Network Rail, addressed the concerns on behalf of Southeastern. Its 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.
“In many places our railway is full, with passenger numbers having doubled in two decades, and we know passengers and the country need better services.”
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