Rail fares set to soar in new year

Back

Train travellers may soon choose to spend their cash on running a car after it was announced that thousands of rail users face new year fare rises of at least 6%.

The hikes, blamed on rocketing inflation figures, mean the costs of fuel and car insurance are looking a more and more attractive option.

The annual rises are linked to the previous July's official inflation figures, with regulated fares - which include annual season tickets - pegged at retail price index (RPI) inflation plus 1%.

The RPI figure of 5% means that January 2009 average fares for regular commuters will rise by an average of 6%, meaning some fares could be higher than that.

And other non-regulated fares – such as off-peak tickets – could go up even more.

Ashwin Kumar, director of customer watchdog body Passenger Focus, said: "What passengers won't tolerate is train companies using the flexibility allowed them by the system to put up some fares by nearly 11%.

Gerry Doherty, general secretary of the transport union TSSA, said: "It is a scandal that the rail companies have this trigger which allows them to put up fares every year.”

Get a car insurance or home insurance quote now.