Train fares have 'risen three-times faster than cost of living' since privatisation

Date: 5/2/2013

Train fares on some of Britain's most popular routes have risen up to three times faster than the cost of living since privatisation was introduced in 1993.

That's according to figures compiled by Barry Doe on behalf of the TSSA Transport Union, which also revealed that average rail fares have increased by 102.8 per cent since 1995 - the year after British Rail was sold.

As the statistics show, the cost of a walk-on single from London to Manchester has risen by 208 per cent in the past 20 years, while the charge for a journey from the capital to Exeter has jumped by 205 per cent. Over the same period of time, the Retail Prices Index has increased by 66 per cent.

Michael Roberts, chief executive of the Association of Train Operating Companies, explained that the increases were a result of the Government looking to reduce the burden on taxpayers and use passenger fares to cover expenditure on railway maintenance and improvements.

Posted by Mary Treen

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