Rail fares increase at twice the pace of earnings

RAIL fares have increased twice as much as pay since 2010, according to research published ahead of official price changes due to be announced next week.

An analysis by the Rail, Maritime and Transport union (RMT) showed that rail fares have risen by around 32 per cent in eight years, while average weekly earnings have grown by 16 per cent.

It comes as rail passengers await the annual release of regulated fare prices, due later this week, which is calculated according to the Office for National Statistics Retail Price Index.

The Government links the annual January rise in Britain’s regulated fares with the previous July’s Retail Price Index (RPI) measure of inflation, which will be announced by the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

Regulated fares make up almost half of all tickets and include season tickets and standard returns. It comes as a new survey by the rail watchdog Transport Focus found that less than half of passengers believe the costs of rail travel represent value for money.