28/11/07

Season tickets and saver and standard day returns will rise by 4.8% on average, says the Association of Train Operating Companies (Atoc).
Others, such as cheap day returns and long-distance open and advance fares will go up by 5.4%. The increases will come into effect in the New Year.
George Muir, Atoc director general, said: "We need the revenue from fares to pay for investment in the railway for the benefit of passengers.
"We are providing a higher-performing railway with new, refurbished and more punctual trains and better stations."
He said nearly 91% of trains ran on time between April and September this year, the highest punctuality level for a decade.

But unions and passenger groups have criticised the size of the rises.

Anthony Smith, chief executive of Passenger Focus, an independent rail watchdog, said: "Passengers will be dismayed that fares are going up again, especially as on most routes they have no choice about which train company to use.

He said as passengers braced themselves for more rises between now and 2014, they would be expecting a better service.

Transport Salaried Staffs' Association general secretary Gerry Doherty described the rises as "outrageous".
He called for a not-for-profit railway instead of the expensive privately-run current system.
Bob Crow, general secretary of the Rail Maritime and Transport union (RMT), said: "The private franchises are interested only in lining their shareholders' pockets, yet the failure to impose a sensible fares policy is having a direct effect on the environment, as more and more people who should be on trains take to their cars."