Train fare rise ‘kick in teeth’ for passengers
TRAIN fares will rise by an average 3.4per cent from January 2 – adding nearly £100 to some Greater Manchester season tickets.
The increase, the biggest in five years, affects season tickets on most commuter routes and some off-peak return tickets on long-distance journeys.
Train operating companies set the prices of other tickets but are bound by competition rules.
And the price hike comes on top of a number of operator-led increases in recent months.
In May this year Northern Rail increased some of its unregulated fares by nearly 10pc – for the third time in nine months.
It’s been met with outrage by unions and rail groups.
Described as a ‘kick in the teeth’ by the RMT union, the Rail Delivery Group has issued a reminder that 97pc of fare income is ploughed back into the railway.
John Moorhouse, secretary for TravelWatch NorthWest – a Manchester-based watchdog – added: “We’re not happy.
“It just very frequently seems to be greater than the cost of living.
“I don’t think many of our rail travellers in the north west are getting good value for money, mainly because we’ve not seen the improvements we were promised.
“There are still overcrowding problems. Just at this moment in time, it’s difficult to justify such a large increase and it’s regrettable to see this.”
Mick Cash, of the Rail, Maritime and Transport union, said: “For public sector workers and many others in our communities who have had their pay and benefits capped or frozen by this government, these fare increases are another twist of the economic knife.”
The latest rise in regulated fares had already been capped at July’s Retail Prices Index inflation rate of 3.6pc.
One in nine trains (12pc) have arrived late at their destinations in the past 12 months.
Last year, a 2.3pc rise was implemented – leading to a protest at Manchester Piccadilly by campaign group Action for Rail.
According to the Rail Delivery Group, which represents train operators, around 97p in every pound that is paid by passengers goes back into running and improving services.