Rail Fares To Rise 6%

Train fares will rise by an average of 5.9% in January, according to the Association of Train Operating Companies (ATOC) on Tuesday.

The new fares can be found at National Rail Enquiries from Tuesday, so people can check how much their ticket or any other fare will cost next year.

Michael Roberts, Chief Executive of ATOC, said: “Money raised through fares helps pay for new trains, faster services and better stations.

“The long-standing government approach to sustaining rail investment is to cut the contribution from taxpayers and increase the share paid for by passengers.

“The industry is working together to continue cutting costs as a way to help limit future fare rises and offer better value for money for taxpayers over the longer term.”

ATOC said the level of fare rises was determined largely by government policy and that since 2004 the government has been reducing the contribution to publicly owned rail from taxpayers and increasing the share paid by passengers.

Around half of all fares are linked by a government formula to July’s inflation rate as measured by the retail price index (RPI).

The UK takes 1.3bn rail journeys a year, while ATOC said demand for rail travel has not been this high in peacetime since the 1920s. Journey numbers have increased by more than 5% during the first nine months of 2011.

(DW)