Critics hit out at 3.5% hike in train fares

Campaigners, trade unions and politicians have criticised the anticipated 3.5% rise in commuters’ train fares next year.

Pressure group the Campaign for Better Transport urged the UK Government to “commit to a fares freeze”.

The annual cost of getting to work for many long-distance travellers is expected to rise by more than £150.

The increase will be confirmed when the July Retail Prices Index (RPI) measure of inflation is released by the Office for National Statistics this week.

Economists from Investec and the EY Item Club predict the figure will be 3.5%.

The Department for Transport uses July’s RPI to determine the annual increase in regulated train fares, which comes into force every January. They went up by 3.6% this year.

In January the governor of the Bank of England, Mark Carney, said RPI has “no merit”, and “virtually everyone recognises” the Consumer Prices Index (CPI). Campaigners want CPI to be used to determine increases, as it is generally lower.

The increase announcement comes as new research shows passenger satisfaction with rail punctuality and reliability has fallen in the last 10 years.

Mick Cash, general secretary of the Rail, Maritime and Transport union, described the looming rise as “another kick in the teeth for passengers”.

A Scottish Government spokesman said: “ScotRail’s increases are generally lower, on average, than elsewhere in the UK.”