Anger as cost of train tickets set to rise 3.6% in new year

THE prospect of higher rail fares has sparked anger among commuters and has led to increased calls from unions for the railway industry to be renationalised.

Passengers will see fares rise by 3.6% when price changes come into force in the new year and the hike has been described as a “kick in the teeth” and a “rip-off ”.

Rail unions stepped up their calls for the railway industry to be bought back into public ownership, with Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union leader Mick Cash calling for an end to “Government-sponsored racketeering”.

Mr Cash said: “The huge hike in fares confirmed today is another kick in the teeth for passengers who already fork out colossal sums to travel on rammed-out, unreliable trains while the private operators are laughing all the way to the bank.

“With over three-quarters of Britain’s railways now in the hands of foreign states these huge sums of money aren’t being invested in essential upgrades and modernisation here, they are being siphoned off to subsidise transport services over the Channel. It’s no wonder we are a global laughing stock.

“The only solution to the Great British Private Rail Rip-Off is public ownership and an end to this Government-sponsored racketeering.”

Research by the RMT and the TUC has shown rail fares have been increasing at twice the rate of pay rises in recent years.

The RMT estimated that the 3.6% fare hike means a minimum of an extra £337m in revenue for the train operating companies.

The rail industry said the money will go towards running and improving the network, with profits expected to remain at around 3%.

Commuters outside Cardiff Central train station yesterday were unimpressed with the planned fare increases.

Hayley Richards, from Pontypridd, said: “It’s currently already £7 for a return. I work part-time and one day from home.

“I don’t think it’s good for part-time workers, especially for those with low income. The prices of the fares are going up but the wages aren’t.”

Margaret Billet, from Risca, said: “It’s just cost me £7 for a return. The journey I made is a 20-minute car journey but it took me half an hour.

“It’s too much. How people travel on a regular basis I do not understand, it’s expensive.”

Martin Davies, from Dorset, said: “I personally think it’s necessary but I am speaking from the position of a Senior Rail Card holder. I’ve seen what fare increases have done for the infrastructure, and from what I’ve read people are happy with the punctuality of trains.

“This increase will bring the trains up to speed, although it will probably hit commuters in the south east. The Government has not recently invested in rail services, so I think it is all part of a process that will take time.”

Paul Plummer, chief executive of the Rail Delivery Group, which brings together train companies and Network Rail, said: “Money from fares pays to run and improve the railway, making journeys better, boosting the economy, creating skilled jobs and supporting communities across Britain, and politicians set increases to season tickets.

“It’s also the case that many major rail industry costs rise directly in line with RPI. Rail companies are working together to improve performance now, adding thousands more seats over the next 18 months and, longer term, simplifying fares and ticket buying so that the country has the railway it needs to prosper.”

David Sidebottom, director of Transport Focus, the independent transport user watchdog, said: “Yet again passengers, now majority funders of the railway, face fare rises next January.

“Commuters do not give value for money on their railways a high satisfaction score – just one third according to our latest survey. So while performance remains patchy and with pay and wages not keeping pace with inflation, they will feel rightly aggrieved if they are paying much higher rises next January.

“Why is the Government not using its preferred measure of inflation: the one that is used to determine wages and pension increases, and one which is often lower than RPI? Why not use the Consumer Prices Index for rail fares too? Passengers deserve a fairer deal.”

A spokesperson for GWR said: “The money raised by Government through fares ensures investment in more trains, better stations and faster services. This investment is already delivering new trains in London and the Thames Valley; and we will see the first of our new Intercity Express Trains in passenger service in just a matter of months – delivering more seats; and with the completion of the new fleet more frequent services and quicker journeys.

“Since 2004 the Government has sought to sustain investment in the railways by reducing the amount that taxpayers contribute and requiring passengers to pay a greater share.”

Both Network Rail and Arriva Trains Wales declined to comment.