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Rising rail fares 'a scandal', says passenger group
Rail fares for Lancashire commuters have risen by more than a third in six years, a new investigation into soaring ticket prices reveals today.
And thousands of Lancastrians travelling to Greater Manchester every day are paying hundreds of pounds a year MORE than they should for season tickets, campaigners claim.
In 2003 the Government changed the rail fares policy for regulated fares meaning that from January 2004, the fares were allowed to rise by the Retail Price Index (RPI) – a measure of inflation – plus 1% every year.
Before that, rises were capped at a below-inflationary rate of RPI minus 1%.
According to pressure group the Campaign for Better Transport, the change was part of a Government desire to have rail passengers pay a greater share of the costs of the rail network.
The change was included in the Rail White Paper of 2007, which set a target of fares income paying 75% of rail costs by 2014.
And it means season tickets for the thousands of commuters travelling between Preston and Manchester have risen by 558 between 2003 and 2009.
The group's investigation reveals that if the rule change had not been introduced, the increase would have been just 265. That means commuters are paying 323 more a year than they should be, according to the campaign.
Aidan Turner-Bishop, of the Lancashire Campaign for Better Transport, said train ticket prices were a "national scandal"
He said: "They claim they have got bargains with pay in advance on the internet but there are not many of those.It is very confusing as well."
Almost 100 MPs have signed an Early Day Motion (EDM) in Parliament to have the current system reviewed, including Ribble Valley MP Nigel Evans.
The EDM "calls on the Government to review current rail fares regulation and policy, with a view to reducing fares to encourage more people to take the train instead of driving or flying."
Cat Hobbs, the Campaign for Better Transport's public transport campaigner, said: "Despite what the Government may want us to believe, its fares policy is hurting passengers in the North West – leaving them out of pocket at a time of recession.
"The Government must review its policy on rail fares. It should encourage people to take the train, not push them into cars."
Meanwhile a separate set of figures by rail expert Barry Doe shows fares for journeys between Lancashire and London have risen by some 147% since 1995.
According to his survey, the journey between London and Manchester has gone from 100 for a standard anytime return in 1995 to 247 in 2009.
Mr Doe says the journey to Lancashire stations will cost more than that. First class anytime returns have risen 189%.
The figures come as it was announced unregulated train fares are set to rise again in January.
Virgin Trains, which operates the West Coast Main Line through the North West, has said that its unregulated fares are going up by an average of 2.8%, with some individual tickets rising by as much as 6%.
First TransPennine said it was freezing its fares in the new year. But the company had already put fares up in June this year and added that it would be reviewing its fare levels in May 2010.
The Campaign for Better Transport says the "extra charge" will continue to grow even among regulated fares, which the group claims will see a 'real terms' increase despite negative inflation because train companies can add 1% to the RPI.
But Transport Secretary Lord Adonis said fare increases will affect only a small number of passengers.
He said: "The majority of fares will be going down in January because the majority are regulated. That is the first time that has happened in a generation.
"It is good news for passengers and I hope that will encourage people to take the trains.
"The unregulated fares are, for the most part, off-peak fares or fares where there is significant competition available with other modes of transport and therefore train companies need to be very sensitive about putting those fares up."
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Weather for Preston
Wednesday 08 February 2012
Today
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Temperature: -4 C to 2 C
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