Labour to force vote on rail fares

Labour will force a Commons vote on train fare proposals in a bid to derail Government plans
9 January 2013

Labour will force a Commons vote on proposals for super-peak train fares in a bid to derail Government plans.

Shadow transport secretary Maria Eagle said the new higher fares, if implemented, could either force ordinary commuters off rush-hour trains or leave them facing much higher fares.

The vote will be called on an Opposition Day motion which will also call for a strict cap on fare rises, after Labour said some fares had risen by more than 9% this year.

Ms Eagle said: "Commuters paying thousands for a season ticket should not be forced off peak-time trains.

"Buried in the Government's Rail Fares and Ticketing Review is a plan to charge commuters even more to travel on the most popular train services, even though many are overcrowded and with no guarantee of a seat.

"If they get away with introducing these new super-peak tickets, the Government's own plans suggest increasing them by significantly more than other tickets each year and by a staggering 40% over five years, pricing many commuters off the services they rely on to get to work."

Ms Eagle said Prime Minister David Cameron had broken promises he made to commuters to hold down fare rises at 1% above inflation.

She added: "He should now demand that his out-of-touch transport ministers rule out their misguided plan for a new super-peak fare and finally ban train companies from hiking fares beyond a strict cap, as Labour has committed to do."

A Government source said: "It was the last Labour government that allowed an overly complex system of different fares to grow up over 13 years.

"We are reviewing the system to make it simpler to use, so that people can understand the deal they are getting."

https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-for-transport(DfT)

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