Rail fares to rise 1.9% as passengers face delays and overcrowding
Cost of travelling by train increases by 25 per cent since 2010 - while weekly earnings grow a mere 12 per cent
With the rail network creaking under the combined effect of delays, cancellations and strikes, travellers are angry that rail fares are to rise by nearly 2 per cent.
Rail fares will increase by 1.9 per cent from the start of next year. The hike, which affects regulated fares, is linked to today's announcement of July's retail price index (RPI) inflation measure.
"The prospect of another rise will prompt a backlash from hundreds of thousands of furious passengers," predicts the Daily Mail, "who have endured delays and cancellations and are increasingly forced to stand on packed trains."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The timing is likely to anger passengers "who have suffered overcrowded trains and disruption", says The Telegraph, noting that this will in fact be one of the lowest annual increases since railways were privatised. To coincide with today's rise, the TUC has published a report showing that fares have gone up by 25 per cent since 2010, while average weekly earnings have grown by just 12 per cent.
"The rise is three times the official rate of inflation," states The Sun, pointing out that the government's official inflation rate, the consumer price index (CPI), stands at a much lower 0.6 per cent. The Guardian quotes data compiled by the campaign group Railfuture, showing that rail fares would be almost 10 per cent lower had the price rises imposed by the government since 2005 been based on the CPI rather than the RPI.
And what of long-suffering Southern rail commuters? The Daily Mail says campaigners want the government to sever the RPI link completely for passengers on Southern following months of upheaval caused by "the biggest wave of industrial action on the railways for 30 years".
But next year's increase will affect commuters nationwide. The Essex-based Echo quotes Peter Slattery, a Southend rail travellers' spokesman, who says it means a "large chunk" of people's wages are now spent getting to work. In the Yorkshire Evening Post, Chris Hyomes of Railfuture warns that "it will reach the point where people will give up using the train" and travel by car, which "does nothing for the environment".
Around half of rail fares are regulated, including season tickets on most commuter journeys, some off-peak return tickets on long-distance trips, and Anytime tickets around major cities.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Today's political cartoons - November 22, 2024
Cartoons Friday's cartoons - frozen assets, blazing fires, and more
By The Week US Published
-
How much of a blow is ICC arrest warrant for Netanyahu?
Today's Big Question Action by Hague court damages Israel's narrative that Gaza conflict is a war between 'good and evil'
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
UK gynaecological care crisis: why thousands of women are left in pain
The Explainer Waiting times have tripled over the past decade thanks to lack of prioritisation or funding for women's health
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Rail strikes: is Britain on track for a ‘summer of discontent’?
Speed Read The ‘biggest rail strike in modern history’ is planned for next week
By The Week Staff Last updated
-
‘See it. Say it. Sorted’: is it the end of the line for train announcements?
Speed Read The transport secretary has pledged a ‘bonfire of the banalities’ on England’s railways
By The Week Staff Published
-
UK to bring in airport Covid tests for arrivals
Speed Read MPs call for stricter border measures as South African variant of coronavirus spreads
By Chas Newkey-Burden Published
-
UK records biggest jump in transport use since pandemic began
Speed Read Monday rush hour sees spike in commuters across country as trains return to 90% of pre-coronavirus services
By Gabriel Power Last updated
-
Coronavirus: what are the odds of catching Covid-19 on a plane?
Speed Read Studies suggest air travel is safe despite concerns about air quality
By Holden Frith Last updated
-
Plane crashed ‘as distracted pilots discussed Covid fears’
Speed Read Preliminary report says ‘human error’ to blame for crash in Pakistan that claimed 98 lives
By Aaron Drapkin Last updated
-
Coronavirus: Virgin Atlantic tells staff to take unpaid leave
Speed Read Move comes amid warnings that global pandemic could bankrupt aviation industry
By The Week Staff Last updated
-
UK airlines call for multibillion-pound coronavirus bailout
Speed Read Demand comes ahead of ‘bloodiest week in British aviation history’
By The Week Staff Last updated