New Year rail fares set to rocket

12 April 2012

Millions of rail passengers will face above-inflation fare rises in the new year, with some tickets going up more than 7%, it has been announced.

Regulated fares, comprising season tickets and saver fares, will rise 4.3% on average from January 2. Unregulated fares, which represent about 60% of total fares, will be going up by an average of 4.7%.

Unregulated fares on the both the Gatwick Express and the Heathrow Express will be rising an average of 7.3%, while unregulated fares on Virgin West Coast will be increasing by an average of 6.6%, the Association of Train Operating Companies (Atoc) announced.

There will also be big rises for commuters on the Southeastern franchise, where a special agreement means an average rise in regulated fares of 6.3%. A cheap day return from London to Canterbury on Southeastern is rising 6% - from the current £18.40 to £19.50, while a standard day return on the same route is increasing 11.1% from £19.90 to £22.10.

Atoc director-general George Muir said: "While no-one likes to pay more for their travel, we need the revenue to pay for the ongoing improvements to the railways that passengers expect - and overall satisfaction levels are now at an all-time high of 80%.

"Train operators will continue to raise their game, delivering further improvements to the railway and enhancing the travel experience of passengers. Rail travel is proving very popular, with more passengers travelling this year. The challenge now is to get extra capacity on to the railway and route plans are under way to this end."

Brian Cooke, chairman of passenger group London TravelWatch, said: "While we accept fares have to rise sometimes, any price rise above inflation is regrettable and will seem a lot to passengers in and around London who are increasingly faced with crowded platforms and trains. Most train companies on the busy commuter lines in London are now paying the Government huge premiums, so are being forced to put up fares to a level that is extremely bad news for passengers, meaning effectively that many rail passengers in London are paying a stealth tax to the Government as part of their fare."

Anthony Smith, chief executive of independent consumer watchdog Passenger Focus, said: "If passengers want flexibility or have no choice about when to travel, they now face off-putting prices. Levels of crowding now mean there is no more room for manoeuvre - people are being priced off the railways just as the off-peak is also becoming crowded."

Shadow transport secretary Chris Grayling said: "This is very unwelcome news for passengers and will only underline the fact that things are really not right on our railways. We have inflation-busting fare increases at a time when trains are becoming more and more overcrowded and absolutely nothing is being done to tackle the problem."

Liberal Democrat transport spokesman Alistair Carmichael said: "Passengers will be exasperated by these fare increases, whilst levels of overcrowding on their trains continue to get worse. If the Government wants people to use public transport, then it is sending the wrong signal by increasing the price gap between rail and car travel."

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