Grayling defends his decision to go to Qatar

Transport minister criticised for being out of country on day passengers hit with rail fare hike

Transport Secretary Chris Grayling said he has not “shirked the issue” after he was criticised for being in Qatar as rail passengers were hit with the largest fare rises in five years.

Mr Grayling said the fare increases were “higher than I would wish”, while accusing Labour of being “completely hypocritical”.

Shadow transport secretary Andy McDonald claimed the timing of the two-day visit, during which Mr Grayling will meet members of the Gulf state’s government and business leaders, “smacks of a man running scared” as the cost of train tickets rose by an average of 3.4%.

He went on: “Passengers and taxpayers deserve better than a failing transport secretary who refuses to defend his track record.”

Mick Cash, general secretary of the Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union, said passengers forking out more for train travel will “draw their own conclusions” from Mr Grayling’s decision to take a “trip to the Qatari sunshine”.

But speaking from Qatar, Mr Grayling said: “This increase was announced a month ago, and I’ve done radio interviews about it and answered questions in the House of Commons, so I don’t think I’ve shirked the issue.

“I think it is really important that we get out and try to win business for Britain. Today, my presence in the country wouldn’t make any difference, but I can make a difference trying to help Britain get more jobs.”

Mr Grayling also said the Government was putting significant sums into rail investment, including the renovation of London Bridge Station and the creation of Crossrail.

Mr Grayling said: “The increase is higher than I would wish. I think we need to move to the lower form of inflation.

“There are two big barriers to that. “One is that it involves unpicking longterm contracts, and I have started the process of looking at how best we do that.

“The other is, I’m afraid, the unions and the Labour Party.”

Many season tickets went up by more than £100 yesterday, including in Prime Minister Theresa May’s constituency of Maidenhead, where an annual pass to London rose by £104 to £3,092.

Protests were held outside around 40 stations with members of the RMT handing out chocolates to “sweeten the bitter pill” of the price increase.

Stephen Joseph, chief executive of the Campaign for Better Transport (CBT), accused the Government of choosing to “snub rail passengers” by continuing to raise fares while fuel duty is frozen for a seventh consecutive year.

CBT figures show that average season tickets into London terminals have gone up by £146 this year, compared with £74 last January.

Mr Joseph said: “The extra money that season ticket holders will have to fork out this year is almost as much as drivers will save.

“That doesn’t seem fair to us or the millions of people who commute by train, especially as wages continue to stagnate. What’s good enough for motorists should be good enough for rail passengers.”

Train operating companies set the prices of other tickets but are bound by competition rules.

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