Rail fares to rise by 1.9% in UK

Rail fares to rise by 1.9% in UK Calls to reform the rail industry have intensified after news that fares would rise by 1.9% next ...

Rail fares to rise by 1.9% in UK

Calls to reform the rail industry have intensified after news that fares would rise by 1.9% next year, prompting calls from Labour to take services into public ownership and a warning from the passenger watchdog that millions of commuters are not getting value for money.

In a summer marked by disruption on Southern, one of Britain’s busiest rail franchises, and simmering industrial disputes around the railway, trade unions and campaigners held protests highlighting the growth in fares over the last decade. MPs across parties demanded fare freezes for passengers on the Southern route, while Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn joined a demonstration outside London Bridge station, one of the most disrupted rail hubs for commuters on the Southern network.

Corbyn said a Labour government would “rebuild and transform” the UK’s transport network and insisted public ownership of the railways could raise enough money to cut rail fares by as much as 10%.

Regulated rail fares, which include season tickets and off-peak InterCity tickets, will rise by 1.9% from January, in line with July’s RPI inflation figure published on Tuesday. Last year regulated fares rose by 1%. Regulated fares include season tickets and off-peak InterCity tickets, and are capped by the government.

The TUC general secretary, Frances O’Grady, said: “Rail passengers are paying more and getting even less. Fares go up while trains remain overcrowded, stations are unstaffed, and rail companies cut the guards who ensure journeys run smoothly and safely. Enough is enough. It’s time for rail services to be publicly owned, saving money for passengers and taxpayers alike.”

Andy McDonald, the shadow transport secretary, said: “Passengers are told that higher fares are necessary to fund investment, but vital projects have been delayed by years and essential maintenance works have been put on hold. Money that could be used to keep fares down or reinvested to improve our services is instead subsidising the profits of private companies and other nation’s railway systems – it’s a scandal.”

But the rail minister, Paul Maynard, said: “Wages are growing faster than train ticket prices thanks to action by the government.”He added: “Passengers want more reliable journeys in comfort and with better facilities. That is why we are investing record amounts in our railways delivering the biggest rail modernisation programme for over a century, providing more seats, more services, Wi-Fi and air-conditioning.”

Paul Plummer, chief executive at the Rail Delivery Group, representing train operators and Network Rail, said: “Nobody wants to pay more to travel to work and at the moment in some areas people aren’t getting the service they are paying for, and we know how frustrating that is. But increases to season tickets are set by government. For every pound paid in fares, 97p goes back into running and improving services and it’s our job to make sure that money is spent well.

“We need to sustain investment to build a modern railway, and money from fares helps us to do this, which is crucial with rail now more important to our nation’s prosperity than at any time since the Victorian era.”


But Anthony Smith, chief executive of the independent watchdog Transport Focus, said many passengers were not satisfied they were receiving value for their fares, particularly in London and the south east: “Just 23% of peak-time passengers in London and the south east thought their ticket was value for money. Passengers are playing their part by pouring over £9bn into the industry each year: the industry must now deliver on its promises of much more consistent, better performance.”