Rail commuters face huge season ticket fare hikes

Rail commuters: Face fare increases of as much as ten per cent

12 April 2012

London rail commuters still face huge fare hikes in January - adding hundreds of pounds to annual season tickets - despite government last minute moves to cap peak time fare rises.

Some individual fares could still increase by eight or even 10 per cent. Chancellor George Osborne will tomorrow announce he is capping fare rises to 6.2 per cent - train company chiefs were planning to announce eight per cent rises this coming Friday.

This will save about £70 on an annual season from Brighton and Reading and £140 from Swindon. Under complex rules governing the increases, train operators can "juggle" particular fares on individual routes adding up to an extra five per cent - provided there is a fare reduction on other routes - this to maintain the avareage increase of 6.2 per cent across the whole franchise area.

These details will not be known until the end of the week. The Chancellor's announcement has caused huge confusion across the rail industry with the train companies frantically working to recalculate the figures.

January's fares hike is the first of three years of huge increases announced by the government; further huge increases in 2013 and 2014 are still planned.

The Association of Train Operating Companies (ATOC) described plans to cap fares as a "positive move."

Manuel Cortes, leader of the TSSA union, whose white collar members deal with fare prices, warned rail fares will still "rocket" by more than 20 per cent over the next three years.

"Instead of mugging passengers and taking increases of 8.2 per cent Mr Osborne prefers to pick their pockets and take an average of 6.2 per cent in January.

"He thinks by playing Fagin instead of Bill Sykes he can win some plaudits from hard pressed passengers. He's wrong, these increases will still mean real hardship for millions of passengers."

Mr Cortes said some rail commuters still face paying an extra £1,000 for their annual seasons over the next three years.

Fare rises explained:

From Swindon, annual season ticket, £7,024, now due to rise £420 saving £140;

Reading and Basingstoke; current fare £3584, now due to rise £215 saving £72;

Brighton; current fare £3,200, now due to rise £190 saving £66;

Ashford to St Pancras International (high speed) current fare £3,956 now due to rise £240 saving £76.