Rail Passengers Hit With Big Fare Hikes

2:00pm UK, Sunday January 02, 2011

Rob Cole, Sky News Online

Rail users face budget-busting fare increases from today.

Annual season tickets for main line rail travellers will rise by an average of 5.8%, with Tube and bus fares in London rising by an average of 6.8%.

In some cases main line season tickets are going up almost 13% although fares are rising by an average of 6.2%.

However, some lines will see much higher rises than others.

Regulated fares on the Southeastern train company are allowed to rise by an average of 7.8% to account for extra investment in the franchise.

That means a Ramsgate-London season ticket goes up 12.8% to £4,376, while an Ashford International-London season ticket rises 12.7% to £4,328.

Many passengers returning to work in the new year will be baffled about why they are paying much higher figures than the 'averages' published by the train companies.

Anthony Smith, chief executive of rail customer watchdog Passenger Focus

A season ticket between Brighton and London on Southern rises 7.68% to £3,532.

The Government says the rise in fares are needed to invest in transport infrastructure.

However, passengers will be "baffled" by the rises, said one pressure group.

Anthony Smith, chief executive of rail customer watchdog Passenger Focus, said: "Many passengers returning to work in the new year will be baffled about why they are paying much higher figures than the 'averages' published by the train companies.

"With the train companies again free to raise fares on individual routes, some passengers will be facing rises way above inflation."

Passengers on many routes will see fares and season ticket rises

A spokesman for the Association of Train Operating Companies said: "The RPI flex has existed since privatisation and was waived in 2009 by the Government but, as expected, it has now been reinstated by the Department for Transport.

"The average increase allowed in January is RPI plus 1%. Any fare increased by more than this must be balanced by another fare reducing by the same amount."

He added: "Importantly, the average is weighted so that operators cannot increase fares on routes with lots of passengers, and likewise reduce them on routes with fewer passengers."

Shadow transport secretary Maria Eagle attacked the "flex" system as it allows rarely-used routes to be made cheaper to balance out bigger increases to commuter journeys.

"We put a stop to that and they reintroduced it," she told Sky News. The hike would be a "nasty new year surprise for commuters," she added.

She said the Government was investing less in transport and expecting those who rely on the trains to get to work to fund the short-fall.

The Department for Transport said the Government had "to take tough decisions on future rail fares" because of the scale of the deficit.