29 February 2024 , 18:08
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Passengers are being “ripped off” as train fares are hiked despite a catalogue of complaints and delays, say critics. Regulated fares in England will rise by up to 4.9% from this Sunday - on top of a near 6% jump last year. Passengers in Scotland face hikes of 8.7% in April.
TUC General Secretary Paul Nowak said: “Rail fares in this country are a total rip off. UK passengers are already paying some of the highest fares in Europe in return for late-running, overcrowded and routinely cancelled trains. This hike will hammer working people, who are still under the cosh from the cost of living crisis. Meanwhile private train operating companies – and the government – are sacrificing much-needed-investment by lining the pockets of shareholders. It is time to bring services back into public ownership so that passengers and the workforce get a fair deal.”
Season tickets on most commuter journeys will jump, along with some off-peak return fares on long-distance routes and flexible tickets around major cities. The increase could add around £190 to an annual season ticket from Woking to London. It could also mean flexible season tickets for travel between Liverpool and Manchester on two days per week over a year will rise by £92.60 to £1,982.60.
The inflation-beating increases come despite headaches faced by passengers on a daily basis. A survey from watchdog Passenger Focus revealed falling levels of satisfaction, from 86% a year ago to 81% now. A whole host of others measures have also tumbled in recent months, from seat comfort to overcrowding and the cleanliness of carriages. And just 56% of passengers thought travel was value for money.
Meanwhile, passengers are having to regularly endure late or cancelled services. Data from the Office for Rail and Road showed three in 10 services were late between July and September last year. The period, the latest where data is available, included five days severely impacted by strikes. Nearly 45,000 services were completely cancelled and 33,200 partially cancelled.
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Mick Whelan, general secretary of train drivers’ union Aslef, said: “I am shocked – but not surprised – that this government is putting up fares yet again. We should be encouraging more people to use our trains – taking cars off the roads and reducing carbon emissions – but this will only deter passengers from travelling. I’m afraid this government either doesn’t understand – or simply doesn’t care – what it is doing.”