17:07 Tuesday 13th August 2013
BBC Radio Cambridgeshire
[R]ONNIE BARBOUR: Rail passengers will see an average fare increase of 4.1% from next January. It’s based on the inflation figure for July which stands at 3.1%. This rise applies to season tickets and off-peak InterCity fares. Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin says the increases will help pay for major improvements. (TAPE)
PATRICK MCLOUGHLIN: What we’re seeing at the moment is huge investment in our rail network. It’s needed investment. It’s vital that it takes place. We’ve also announced further investment to go on to upgrade a lot of our railway lines for electrification, which makes it cheaper to operate. (LIVE)
RONNIE BARBOUR: Some of the busiest routes could see a rise as high as 9%. That’s because train companies are able to set fares at up to 5% above the Government’s regulated increase for some lines. Labour’s Shadow Transport Secretary Maria Eagle says regular commuters will be the worst hit. (TAPE)
MARIA EAGLE: I think that David Cameron and the Government are out of touch if they think that it’s OK to keep piling this misery on commuters whose incomes are stagnating or going down. (LIVE)
RONNIE BARBOUR: Campaign groups have said it could put people off using trains altogether, as people’s levels of satisfaction is already low. The train companies say they need to increase fares in order to deliver service improvements, and that is good value for money. Thomas Ableman from Chiltern Railways. (TAPE)
THOMAS ABLEMAN: The average season ticket on Chiltern Railways costs £3000. And I can fully understand why that seems a huge sum for the passenger to spend in one transaction. However, each season ticket holder then goes on to make sixteen thousand miles worth of travel with that season ticket. Now if you tried to make sixteen thousand miles worth of travel by car, you could never afford to do it for £3000. (LIVE)
RONNIE BARBOUR: This morning members of the TUC were handing out postcards to passengers at Peterborough Station. Jill Murdoch is a rail worker and an active union member. She was there this morning. Jill, good evening to you.
JILL MURDOCH: Good evening.
RONNIE BARBOUR: What was on the postcards? Continue reading “Another Large Fare Rise Prompts Calls For The Re-Nationalisation of Rail”