Passenger groups in rail fare rise outrage as Shropshire and Mid Wales brace for strikes
Train fares were rising by an average of 1.1 per cent across Britain today – as services in Shropshire an Mid Wales prepare to be hit by strike action on Monday.
It is the smallest annual increase since 2010 but campaigners warned that some passengers would be "amazed there are any fare rises at all" because of the quality of the service.
The average rise for regulated fares, which is about half of all tickets and includes annual passes, was limited to no more than one per cent as it is linked to July's rate of Retail Price Index (RPI) inflation.
But unregulated fares, such as off-peak leisure tickets, change by whatever amount the train companies decide. The average rise for all fares in England, Wales, and Scotland was announced as 1.1 per cent by rail industry body the Rail Delivery Group.
Punctuality figures published by Network Rail show more than one in 10 trains arrived at their final destination at least five minutes late in the past 12 months.
The rise also comes as Arriva Trains Wales staff are set to walk out for a 24-hour strike, cancelling all services on Monday.
Anthony Smith, chief executive of independent watchdog Transport Focus, said: "In some parts of the country, given rail performance has been so dire, passengers will be amazed there are any fare rises at all."
He added: "Passengers are paying their part in the railways – rail revenue is heading towards £9 billion a year. The rail industry must now keep its side of the promise: deliver on the basics."
Bruce Williamson, of campaign group Railfuture, claimed fares were "increasingly divorced from reality".
He criticised the Government's policy of using RPI to calculate regulated fare rises, rather than the Consumer Price Index (CPI).
"High street prices have remained stagnant for more than a year, with the official CPI inflation figure hovering around zero, yet the Government thinks it's fair to make rail travel even more expensive," he said. "RPI is completely discredited and is rarely used by Government, except when it comes to jacking up rail fares."
Commuters with annual season tickets can find out how much their fare has gone up by on the National Rail Enquiries website. A season ticket for an adult travelling between Shrewsbury and Birmingham now costs £2,140. For Shrewsbury to London the cost is £11,724.
