Commuters 'pay 3.5 times more for rail travel in UK'

Friday, 30 December 2011 11:14

In news that is sure to enrage commuters, a study has found that people who travel by rail in the UK may be paying three-and-a-half times more than their European counterparts for similar journeys.

The Campaign for Better Transport looked at a range of fares as passengers brace themselves for price hikes next week.

It found that despite chancellor George Osborne's promise to cap fare increases to one per cent above inflation, Britons are being hit in the pocket when it comes to season tickets.

The research compared trips from commuter towns to the capital in a number of European countries, examining annual season ticket prices on journeys over 23 miles that included travel on services like underground systems.

For Woking to London, the cost was £3,268 a year, while travelling from Ballancourt-sur-Essonne to Paris would cost £924.66.

However, getting from Velletri to Rome would only set commuters back £336.17 a year.

This meant that British workers pay three-and-a-half times more than the most expensive season ticket on the continent, but 9.7 times more than the cheapest available fare.

Campaign for Better Transport spokesperson Sophie Allain said she was shocked by the findings.

"If the government is serious about promoting economic growth it must also look at reducing planned fare rises in 2013 and 2014 as part of a policy to ... make public transport truly affordable," she added.

Shadow secretary of state for transport Maria Eagle MP said commuters will be stunned next week to find their train ticket prices have rocketed by up to ten per cent because train companies have been allowed to add on their own increases to fares.

"This decision shows just how out of touch government ministers are with the effect that the cost of living crisis is having on families up and down the country," she remarked.

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