Western Daily Press (Saturday)
Transport campaigners slam rail fare increases
AN annual flexi rail season ticket between Bristol Temple Meads and Bath Spa will breach the £1,000 barrier for the first time.
Rail fares rise of nearly 5% has been described by passenger groups as “another unwelcome price hike”.
The Department for Transport announced that regulated fares in England will increase by up to 4.9% on March 3 next year.
These include season tickets on most commuter journeys, some off-peak return tickets on longdistance routes and flexible tickets for travel around major cities.
It means an annual flexi season ticket for travel two days per week over a year between Bristol and Bath will rise by £47, from £960 to £1,007.
Those buying a full season ticket from Gloucester to Birmingham meanwhile will see it exceed £5,000 for the first time.
Fares will rise by £240 to £5,148 from £4,908.
July’s Retail Prices Index measure of inflation, which is traditionally used to determine annual fare rises, was 9.0%.
But the Consumer Prices Index (CPI), which is a more commonly used inflation figure, was 3.9% in November.
Michael Solomon Williams, from charity Campaign for Better Transport, said: “We are being asked to be thankful for small mercies, but raising rail fares next year when fuel duty remains frozen sends the wrong message about how we want and need people to travel.
“To tackle air pollution, congestion and climate change,
Changed working patterns after the pandemic mean that our railways are still losing money MP MARK HARPER
rail travel needs to be an affordable choice, not a luxury.”
Mick Lynch, general secretary of the Rail, Maritime and Transport union (RMT), said: “The Government is presiding over the managed decline of the railways with huge cuts to safety-critical infrastructure spending on one hand whilst allowing privatised train operators to pay out huge shareholder dividends with the other.
“Meanwhile passengers are once
again slapped in the face with massive fare increases proving once again what a categorical failure the fragmented privatised system is.”
The cap on regulated fare rises in 2023 – announced last December - was 5.9%.
Transport Secretary and Forest of Dean MP Mark Harper said: “Having met our target of halving inflation across the economy, this is a significant intervention by the Government to cap the increase in
rail fares below last year’s rise. Changed working patterns after the pandemic mean that our railways are still losing money and require significant subsidies, so this rise strikes a balance to keep our railways running, while not overburdening passengers.”
The Scottish Government announced on Wednesday that all ScotRail fares will rise by 8.7% from April 1.
No decision has been made on fare rises in Wales.