Average rail fares to increase by 1.1%
04/12/2015
Average rail fares are due to increase by 1.1% from the 2nd January 2016, the Rail Delivery Group (RDG) has announced.
The RDG claimed that this was the smallest annual rise in six years, and regulated fares including season tickets will be capped at July’s inflation rate of 1%. Unregulated fares, which include off peak leisure tickets, can go up by as much as the train companies decide.
RDG chief Paul Plummer said:
"We know that nobody likes to pay more to travel by train, especially to get to work.
"[The increase] allows the government to focus its funding on building a bigger, better network when the railway is becoming increasingly important at driving economic growth, underpinning jobs, and connecting friends and families,"
The RDG has claimed that the increases cover the rails’ daily operating costs. Campaigners, such as Martin Abrams of the Campaign for Better Transport, believe that something needs to be done to achieve a railway which is “truly affordable”, as train fares have risen by more than 25% over the past five years. Abrams also believes that it is "simply unfair" that flexible ticketing has not yet been introduced, leading many part-time workers to "fork out for five-day season tickets which don't give them the same savings that full-time commuters get". He said:
"To avoid pricing people off the railways, the train operating companies and the government need to work closely together to provide fairer, simpler and cheaper fares through flexible ticketing and making sure people are always sold the cheapest ticket available."
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