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Thursday, March 28, 2024

Campaigners urge re-think ahead of predicted fare rise

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The Government is expected to announce fare increases of as much as 5.7 per cent on Tuesday, but campaigners believe there is still time to ease passenger pain.

The cost of train tickets is currently calculated using a formula of three per cent above the Retail Price Index (RPI). On Tuesday, July’s figure is expected to be around 2.7 per cent, with TOCs able to increase fares by an additional five per cent on some routes.

Anthony Smith, chief executive of Passenger Focus, appealed to the Transport Secretary Justine Greening to think about the pressures facing passengers and maintain last year’s calculation of RPI plus one per cent. He said: “While inflation has dropped sticking to plus three with full flex will mean real pain for some passengers.

“We hope the Secretary of State follows her logic from last year – RPI plus one maximum and perhaps less flex? Passengers would be grateful.”

Campaign for Better Transport is organising a protest at Waterloo station on Tuesday against the predicted price hike.

Richard Hebditch from Campaign for Better Transport said on the group’s blog: “The last transport secretary Philip Hammond said he accepted that the railway was a “rich man’s toy” and the current Transport Secretary Justine Greening has done nothing to change the policy on fare rises, which are set to be three per cent above inflation in 2013 and 2014 and then one per cent above inflation thereafter.

“The Government did say they wanted to “end the era of inflation busting fare rises” at some point but their latest statement kicks this into the long grass with a vague promise about this maybe happening at some point “in the long term”.

“We think the time to end such high fare rises is now. We’re asking our supporters to come along as “train toffs” to show that the railway is for everyone, not just the rich.”

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