Five-year high increase to fares hard for commuters

Rail passengers in Kent and Medway face an eye-watering 3.6% increase in ticket prices next year – the biggest annual increase in five years.

Some season ticket prices are already among the highest in the country because of the premium paid for using High Speed 1 services.

Commuters will be expected to pay even more next year because the increase in regulated fares is based on the Retail Price Index (RPI) as it stands now – and that is 3.6%.

The prospect of even higher prices has dismayed campaign groups, who say that it is time to end the link between the RPI and ticket prices.

In a statement, rail operator Southeastern said: “We understand that no-one likes to see prices go up.

“However, the government regulates annual fare increases to meet the costs of running Britain’s railways.

“For unregulated fares – including off-peak travel – we offer discounted ticket prices, special offers and promotional fares.

“We remain committed to making journeys better for passengers and have invested £70 million to improve train services and stations.”

The Department of Transport said that the government calculated the prices fairly and that for every pound, 97% was being invested in the rail network.

That is unlikely to persuade hard-pressed commuters who have faced several years of fare increases on services they often complain represents poor value for money.

David Sidebottom, director of watchdog group Transport Focus, said: “Commuters do not give value for money on their railways a high satisfaction score – just one-third on the basis of our recent survey.

“So while performance remains patchy, and with pay and wages not keeping place with inflation, they will rightly feel aggrieved if they are paying much higher rises next January.”

He said the government needed to explain why it did not use its own preferred measure of inflation – the Consumer Price Index – to fares, which was generally lower.

The issue of rail ticket increases is politically sensitive in the county.

MPs recently took the unusual step of joining forces to urge the government to consider ways to bring down the cost of tickets when it awards the next franchise for rail services in the South East, which is due to happen next year.

In a detailed submission responding to the government’s consultation on the next franchise, the MPs said: “Passengers are dissatisfied. With insufficient room to stand at times and with some season tickets at more than £6,000, they feel they are not getting value for money.”