After strike misery, now rail fares going up by £50

COMMUTERS whose lives have been blighted by strikes, engineering work and overcrowded trains face a rise of more than £50 in the cost of their annual season ticket.

The Office for National Statistics will today announce inflation for the year to July – which economists expect to come in at around 1.5 per cent.

The Retail Price Index (RPI) inflation measure is used to determine how much UK train fares will go up next January.

It means £40 will be added to the cost of an average season ticket, with an Edinburgh-Glasgow annual pass going up by around £56 and a Dundee-Edinburgh pass by around £61.

The move comes after commuters on the flagship Edinburgh-Glasgow route have endured months of chaos due to longawaited electrification upgrades.

There have also been a series of strikes on ScotRail services in recent months, which has cost the Scottish economy an estimated £150million.

Industrial action has been suspended as talks continue over the operator’s plan to use more trains where drivers rather than guards control the doors.

However, earlier this month members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union backed a walk-out on the Virgin East Coast line from London to Aberdeen, Edinburgh, Newcastle and York.

The prospect of a rail fares hike is likely to prompt a backlash from commuters. Separate figures pub- lished yesterday revealed rail fares have increased at double the speed of wages since 2010.

Analysis from the Trades Union Congress (TUC) showed fares have gone up 25 per cent in the past six years, while average weekly earnings have risen only 12 per cent.

As passengers’ fares rise, dividends paid to shareholders of private rail firms have risen by 21 per cent in the past year to £222million, according to the unions.

TUC general secretary Frances O’Grady said: ‘Rail passengers are paying more and getting even less. Fares go up while trains remain overcrowded, stations are unstaffed and rail companies cut the guards who ensure journeys run smoothly and safely.’

Around half of rail fares are regulated by the UK or Scottish Government. For the ScotRail franchise, regulated fares are Anytime singles and returns, Off-peak singles and returns and season tickets.

Peak fares are expected to rise in line with the rest of the UK at 1.5 per cent, although the SNP has ruled that regulated off-peak fares will rise at one percentage point below inflation – meaning they are likely to go up 0.5 per cent.

That is a better deal for passengers than in other parts of the UK.

Cross-Border services on the east and west coast main lines are regulated by the UK Government. Unregulated fares, including Super Off-peak and Advanced fares, are a commercial matter for operators.

TSSA union general secretary Manuel Cortes said: ‘Our rail fares are already the highest in Europe and today’s increases will only make that record worse. It’s time that ministers gave rail passengers a break and actually froze fares in real terms.’

A spokesman for government body Transport Scotland said: ‘The Scottish Government wants to see more people take the train and recognises that prices have to be affordable and fair. Scottish ministers ensure that fares are kept below certain thresholds by regulating the maximum permitted annual increase for selected fares.’