Rail fares rise by 3.1 per cent as commuters stage protests at train stations across the UK
Rail fares increased by an average of 3.1 per cent today despite commuters suffering a year of travel chaos in 2018.
Passengers are set to stage a national protest at the hike today, which will see many rail season tickets increase by more than £100.
Commuters, rail union leaders and politicians are expected to protest outside key UK stations like King’s Cross, Bristol Cardiff, Liverpool and Birmingham.
The protests follow figures that place punctuality at a 13-year low, with Press Association data revealing that one in seven trains was delayed by at least five minutes in 2018.
The 3.1 per cent hike, announced in November, is meant to deliver key rail infrastructure upgrades, but followed calls for a price freeze following widespread poor service last year blamed on signal failures, bad weather and management issues.
“Rail fares are going up in January after a year blighted by timetable chaos, poor performance and strikes,” said Anthony Smith, chief executive of the independent watchdog Transport Focus.
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“Until day-to-day reliability returns, with fewer significant delays and cancellations, passenger trust won’t begin to recover.”
Currently rail fares are based on the retail price index, which rose 3.2 per cent last year, and the latest fare surge has increased calls for ticket prices to be based on the consumer price index, which generally grows at a slower rate.
Smith called for a “fairer, clearer fares formula based on a calculation that uses the Consumer Price Index, rather than the discredited Retail Price Index”.
Robert Nisbet, head of the rail industry representative body the Rail Delivery Group, admitted “that nobody wants to pay more for their journey to work” but that “money from fares is underpinning record investment to build the better railway customers want”.
It comes as National Rail introduces a 26-30 railcard from lunchtime today aimed at more than 4m people in the UK.
“We want more people to benefit from the opportunities travelling by train opens up which is why we are pleased that the industry’s 26-30 Railcard will go on sale today and we will support the government decision to reduce fares for 16 and 17-year-olds,” Nisbet added.
A review into last year’s rail problems found “systemic failures” were to blame after a new timetable in May led to weeks of delays and cancellations.
Another review led by former British Airways chair Keith Williams is looking into longer term changes to improve rail travel.