Train fares to rise by 6% from January

Across the UK, train fares will rise by an average of 5.9 per cent in January, the Association of Train Operating Companies (Atoc) said today.

The increase is higher than the Retail Prices Index (RPI) measure of inflation, which was 5.2 per cent in November.

Chancellor George Osborne capped fare increases at 6 per cent, instead of the expected 8 per cent, in his Autumn Statement last month.

A ScotRail spokesman said: “We are committed to meeting customer demand for high quality punctual services.

“This approach enables us to continue to invest in service improvements while ensuring that rail travel remains value for money.”

As the rail fare rises were being announced, a broken-down train meant there were no trains on ScotRail services between Port Glasgow and Wemyss Bay.

In Scotland rail is a devolved power and under the franchise agreement ScotRail is able to increase fares by the Retail Prices Index, plus 1 per cent.

Anthony Smith, chief executive of rail consumer watchdog Passenger Focus, said: “Passengers will be relieved that the Government has capped the fares formula at RPI plus 1. However, this has still led to average 6 per cent rises which will not be reflected in most people’s pay.

“Passengers will now have to trawl the detail to find out what is happening on their individual routes.

“The spotlight will really be on train operating companies and Network Rail to deliver on their promises about performance and overcrowding. Us passengers are paying our fair share and we want and deserve better.”

Richard Baker MSP, Scottish Labour’s spokesman for capital investment and infrastructure, said: “Coming on top of SNP Government plans to cut the number of trains, increase journey times, end cross-border trains and stop the sleeper service, ramping up fares is the last thing hard-pressed rail passengers need.

“My fear is that passengers will be forced to fork out ever higher fares, for ever lower levels of service.

“The SNP government is out of touch with ordinary rail passengers and seems determined to stack the odds in favour of the big train operators.”

Bob Crow, general secretary of rail union RMT, said: “These inflation-busting increases show that the great rail fares privatisation swindle is still rocking along, with the train operating companies laughing all the way to the bank.

“Independent analysis by Government departments has proven that the fare increases are trousered by the shareholders of the private companies while passengers pay through the nose to travel in rammed and creaking carriages.

“The corporate welfare scroungers from the train companies have bled hundreds of millions out of our railways and they should be told that the game’s up.”