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TRAIN FARES TO RISE ABOVE INFLATION

NEW ANNOUNCEMENT SEES TICKET PRICES SET TO SOAR

Stella Mills

The new year will see an unwelcome rise in train fares after an announcement from the Association of Train Operating Companies (ATOC) at the end of November. The change has invoked criticism from rail watchdogs saying it is ‘outrageous’ and that the Government should do more to prevent such increases.

As of January 2, both regulated fares (including season tickets, savers and standard day returns) and unregulated fares (such as cheap day returns and long distance open and advance purchase fares), will see an increase above inflation between 3.8% and 7% with an average rise of 4.8% and 5.4% respectively. Regulated fares account for more than half of ticket sales.

Merseyrail will be imposing the lowest of these increases in their regulated fares at 3.8%, whereas Northern Rail, Virgin Trains and Arriva Trains Wales will be increasing their rates by 4.8%.

These increases will contribute towards service improvement and maintenance, as well as extensive train and station refurbishment, and an estimated £800m is currently being invested in doing so. Director General of ATOC, George Muir said, “We need the revenue from fares to pay for investment in the railway for the benefit of passengers”.

ATOC also stated that the increase “reflects the fact that over half of tickets sold are price-regulated by the Government”, but also pinpoints passengers’ tendency to choose discounted over full priced tickets as a reason.

However, Transport Salaried Staffs’ Association (TSSA) leader, Gerry Doherty has labelled this ‘daylight robbery’ saying that “rail companies are holding passengers to ransom every year and the Government are encouraging them to get away with it”.

Passenger Focus (a rail consumer watchdog) commented that the change in train fares will be bad news for many commuters who will have to ‘fork out hundreds of extra pounds’. Passenger Focus Chief Executive, Anthony Smith warned passengers of continuing rises in fares up until 2014 and said, “They will rightly expect a better service for this”.

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