Passenger ‘dismay’ at rail fare increases

Increase after months of chaos in region

TRANSPORT: Increases of 3.1 per cent on average rail fares will be a cause for dismay among passengers in the North after months of chaos and disruption, says a Yorkshire council leader.

Judith Blake, the leader of Leeds City Council, said passengers “are entitled to wonder what they are paying for” after a year of rail chaos.

INCREASES OF 3.1 per cent on average rail fares will be a cause for dismay among passengers in the North after months of chaos and disruption, according to a Yorkshire council leader.

Judith Blake, the leader of Leeds City Council, said passengers “are entitled to wonder what they are paying for” after a year which saw the botched introduction of a new timetable cause misery for many across the region.

The cost of many rail season tickets will increase by more than £100 in January as average fares go up by 3.1 per cent, the largest rise since January 2013.

Passengers said fares have become “ridiculous”, particularly after train punctuality slipped to a 12-year low in the summer.

But the rail industry insisted money from fares is “underpinning the improvements to the railway that passengers want”.

Examples of increases in annual season tickets from January 2 include £60 for Leeds to Skipton (£1,900 to £1,960) and £84 for Halifax to Manchester (£2,672 to £2,756). The annual cost from Theresa May’s constituency of Maidenhead to London will increase from £3,092 to £3,188.

Coun Blake, who leads on transport for the West Yorkshire Combined Authority, said: “Many passengers will be dismayed, given the misery and despair the failing rail service has inflicted on the lives of people across the North of England over recent months.

“Passengers are entitled to wonder what they are paying for given the calamitous introduction of timetable changes, undelivered service improvements and the appalling levels of performance they suffer day in day out.

“In parallel with a determined effort on the part of operators to improve reliability and punctuality we need the Government to demonstrate a clear commitment to addressing the underlying weakness of the North rail network including the upgrade of the trans-Pennine route.”

In May, the chaotic introduction of a new timetable by operator Northern resulted in hundreds of services being cancelled or delayed, at a cost of £1.3m a day at the height of the crisis.

Performance improved as a result of the interim timetable introduced in June, but since then the proportion of trains arriving on time has deteriorated across the North.

The increase in around 40 per cent of fares, including season tickets, is regulated by the UK, Scottish and Welsh governments.

This is predominantly capped at July’s RPI inflation figure, which was 3.2 per cent. Other fare rises are decided by train companies.

A Department for Transport spokesman acknowledged that “any fare increase is unwelcome”, but insisted it is “not fair to ask people who do not use trains to pay more for those who do”.

Rail Delivery Group chief executive Paul Plummer said: “Money from fares is underpinning the improvements to the railway that passengers want and which ultimately help boost the wider economy.”

Passengers are entitled to wonder what they are paying for. Judith Blake, leader of Leeds City Council