• Our new ticketing site is now live! Using either this or the original site (both powered by TrainSplit) helps support the running of the forum with every ticket purchase! Find out more and ask any questions/give us feedback in this thread!

Rail commuters face 6% fare rise

Status
Not open for further replies.

wintonian

Established Member
Joined
15 Jan 2010
Messages
4,889
Location
Hampshire
Your annual commuters pay even more next year news story. :)

BBC said:
Some rail commuters in England will face a rise of nearly 6% for their season tickets next year.
Fares in England, Scotland and Wales will go up by 4.2% on average. Last month, the PM intervened to limit average rises to 1% above inflation.
The biggest rise in 2013 would be 5.9% - from £4,588 to £4,860 - for an annual ticket from Canterbury to London, according to watchdog Passenger Focus.
It said firms had showed constraint but commuters would still "feel this pain".
While Passenger Focus says the £272 increase in the Canterbury to London annual ticket will be the biggest, it also highlights ticket price rises including for the Bournemouth to London route - up £240 to £5,988.

Examples of new prices

  • Canterbury-London: £4,860 (up 5.9%)
  • Llanelli-Swansea: £624 (up 5.4%)
  • Ludlow-Hereford: £1,992 (up 5.3%)
  • Tonbridge-London: £3,796 (up 5.2%)
  • Aylesbury-London: £3,632 (up 3.2%)
  • Ellesmere Port-Chester: £720 (up 2.3%)
  • Shenfield-London: £2,704 (down 0.6%)
Source: Passenger Focus

And an annual ticket from Gloucester to Birmingham will cost an extra £140, it says.
In August, it had been announced that rail fares in England would rise by an average of 6.2%.
The Retail Prices Index (RPI) measure of inflation as of July 2012 - which stood at 3.2% - plus 3% was initially used to calculate the average rise.
But last month, David Cameron announced the average rise for the next two years would be capped at RPI plus 1%.
The figure for 2012 is therefore RPI as of July 2012 - 3.2% - plus 1%.
Train firms are able to raise some season tickets above 4.2% as long as the average increase is no more than that ceiling.
Some tickets will rise by as little as 2.3% while one ticket, from Shenfield, in Essex, to London will be £16 cheaper, at £2,704.
'Welcome promise' Rail Minister Norman Baker said the government had taken "pro-active steps" because family budgets were being squeezed.
"Successive governments have instructed train companies every year to increase these regulated fares on average by more than inflation”
Association of Train Operating Companies
"This decision puts an average of £45 per year back into the pockets of over a quarter of a million annual season ticket holders," he said.
But Passenger Focus chief executive Anthony Smith said that, "after years of above-inflation fare rises, fresh increases are piling pressure on already high fares".
"The government and the rail industry must now work together to deliver on the welcome promise to get fare rises in line with inflation."
The Association of Train Operating Companies, meanwhile, said it was the government "not train companies that decides how much season tickets should rise on average each year".
"Successive governments have instructed train companies every year to increase these regulated fares on average by more than inflation." a spokesman said.
'Government collusion' BBC transport correspondent Richard Westcott said 2013 would be the tenth consecutive year that regulated rail fares had gone up by more than inflation in England.
Regulated fares, which include season tickets and off-peak intercity journeys, make up half of all fares.
Consecutive rises had left the country with some of the most expensive trains in Europe, our correspondent said.
Manuel Cortes, leader of the TSSA rail union, said thousands of commuters across south-east England would be "paying more than £5,000 a year for their season tickets because of the government's unfair annual inflation-plus fare rises".
And RMT general secretary Bob Crow said train companies "with the collusion of the government, will be jacking up fares by up to 6% in the new year as they launch a full-frontal assault on passengers in the name of profit".
There are no fare increases currently planned in Northern Ireland after a 3% rise in April.
BBC



Passenger Focuses
advice:

Passenger watchdog urges rail travellers to check now to avoid fare rises next year

Many passengers soon to renew their rail season tickets are again facing price rises that will, in some places, feel steep.

This is in spite of the welcome Government decision to limit regulated fares in England to an overall limit of the inflation figure plus one per cent, rather than the three per cent that was previously proposed. It also appears that train companies are exercising some restraint by not using the full flexibility they are allowed to adjust season ticket fares on individual routes.

Passenger Focus chief executive Anthony Smith said:

“Passengers will feel this pain. After years of above-inflation fare rises, fresh increases are piling pressure on already high fares. Government and the rail industry must now work together to deliver on the welcome promise to get fare rises in line with inflation.”

Currently 42 per cent of passengers are satisfied with the value for money of their ticket – and this drops to just 29 per cent for commuters.

The new prices for off-peak and other fares should be available early in December – it will then be clear if the apparent restraint shown on season ticket levels has fed through to other ticket types.

A good consumer tip from Passenger Focus – check the price of your season ticket, and if it is going up, buy your ticket by 1 January to pay this year’s prices. This could save you pounds!


The press notice shows changes on a selection of season tickets. Please tell us about your fare changes – up, the same or down? Check out our forum to share your experience with other passengers.
Their embolding.

Edit: there is also a video of Mr Smith now.
 
Last edited:
Sponsor Post - registered members do not see these adverts; click here to register, or click here to log in
R

RailUK Forums

Flamingo

Established Member
Joined
26 Apr 2010
Messages
6,806
I wonder how that compares with the increase in the price of fuel, car tax and insurance for my car in the same period?
 

Dewedin

Member
Joined
8 Jun 2009
Messages
673
Typical London-centric reporting. Most West Yorkshire rail MetroCards are going up 6.5%.
 

transmanche

Established Member
Joined
27 Feb 2011
Messages
6,021
Typical London-centric reporting. Most West Yorkshire rail MetroCards are going up 6.5%.
Ah the old London-centric fallacy...

When you consider where most commuting journeys are made; having five out of eight example prices being two London doesn't seem unreasonable.

MetroCards are PTE-priced products (rather than priced by an ATOC member). So they're not included in that press release.

And for a 'London-centric' story, you'll have noticed that there's no mention of London Travelcards either - as they (and others, like T&W Metro) have been announced separately.
 

michael769

Established Member
Joined
9 Oct 2005
Messages
2,007
I wonder how that compares with the increase in the price of fuel, car tax and insurance for my car in the same period?

Fuel costs are currently lower than at the start of the year (2p/l) in my neck of the woods, my insurance renewal also decreased (by 42% :) ) this year.
 

LexyBoy

Established Member
Joined
23 Jan 2009
Messages
4,478
Location
North of the rivers
Metro had "Commuters face £4500 season ticket" which has to be one of the most meaningless headlines I've seen. They could have picked any number between £5.10 and £30056 (this year's prices), where did the 4.5k figure come from? (no, I didn't read the article)..

A good consumer tip from Passenger Focus – check the price of your season ticket, and if it is going up, buy your ticket by 1 January to pay this year’s prices. This could save you pounds!
Pounds! Imagine that!

I wonder how that compares with the increase in the price of fuel, car tax and insurance for my car in the same period?

The trend over the last two decades has been very consistent: public transport fares and vehicle running costs have increased year on year in real terms. However once car purchase costs are factored in the true cost of motoring has fallen in real terms.(source)
 

Polarbear

Established Member
Joined
24 May 2008
Messages
1,916
Location
Birkenhead
Oh how predicable are the press? Every year the same old knocking copy against the railway with dodgy statistics & unfair comparisons. :roll:

Still - I suppose it helps sell papers & line the pockets of the rich who own those papers...<(
 

Deerfold

Veteran Member
Joined
26 Nov 2009
Messages
13,711
Location
Yorkshire
Oh how predicable are the press? Every year the same old knocking copy against the railway with dodgy statistics & unfair comparisons. :roll:

Still - I suppose it helps sell papers & line the pockets of the rich who own those papers...<(

On the other hand, most train fares are continuing to rise faster than inflation - the articles tend to make it less clear that this is largely due to government policy with TOCs then doing what they need to do to meet their increased payments.
 

Dave1987

On Moderation
Joined
20 Oct 2012
Messages
4,563
When ppl say "my ticket costs £5600 pounds a year, that extortionate!" actually that is £107 per week. You try driving 70 miles into central London, parking and driving back every day for £107 per week. It is not possible! Also you would spend hours in traffic jams so would take 2/3 times as long.
 

LNW-GW Joint

Veteran Member
Joined
22 Feb 2011
Messages
21,916
Location
Mold, Clwyd
I wonder how that compares with the increase in the price of fuel, car tax and insurance for my car in the same period?

Or even the pay increase for Mr Crow's members...

I'm baffled that one of the price increase examples is Ellesmere Port-Chester.
This must be one of the least-used commuter flows in the region (indirect, 1 change, slower than the bus).
Maybe it is because it is one of the few flows to have a below-average increase.
 

yorksrob

Veteran Member
Joined
6 Aug 2009
Messages
44,341
Location
Yorks
Typical London-centric reporting. Most West Yorkshire rail MetroCards are going up 6.5%.

Ah, I might have known.

Is there a reason why West Yorkshire is wedged above the national average - particularly as we don't have any shiny new Javelins (if anything, we've been forced to sell our lovely 155's by Mr Pickles).
 

radamfi

Established Member
Joined
29 Oct 2009
Messages
9,267
What is far more serious is the continual increase in adult bus fares, which are unregulated outside London, and are mostly paid by those in society who can least afford them. Yet there is virtually no publicity about it.
 

LexyBoy

Established Member
Joined
23 Jan 2009
Messages
4,478
Location
North of the rivers
The railway can't keep doing this ad finitum...

Since 2004 season ticket fares have had a positive correlation with passenger journeys. When this trend stops there might be some political will to stop raising fares - and it is a political decision, not that of the TOCs.

What is far more serious is the continual increase in adult bus fares, which are unregulated outside London, and are mostly paid by those in society who can least afford them. Yet there is virtually no publicity about it.

Hear hear!
 

Deerfold

Veteran Member
Joined
26 Nov 2009
Messages
13,711
Location
Yorkshire
The railway can't keep doing this ad finitum...

What is far more serious is the continual increase in adult bus fares, which are unregulated outside London, and are mostly paid by those in society who can least afford them. Yet there is virtually no publicity about it.

This tends to be because they tend to be by different companies at different rates at different times of the year (and more cynically fewer journalists use buses than trains).
 

Squaddie

Member
Joined
6 Dec 2009
Messages
1,072
Location
London
When ppl say "my ticket costs £5600 pounds a year, that extortionate!" actually that is £107 per week. You try driving 70 miles into central London, parking and driving back every day for £107 per week. It is not possible! Also you would spend hours in traffic jams so would take 2/3 times as long.
But it is extortionate. That's almost twice the cost of a German "Bahn Pass 100", which gives you unlimited travel on the entire German rail network for 12 months. (And, of course, on much nicer trains).
 

radamfi

Established Member
Joined
29 Oct 2009
Messages
9,267
But it is extortionate. That's almost twice the cost of a German "Bahn Pass 100", which gives you unlimited travel on the entire German rail network for 12 months. (And, of course, on much nicer trains).

The nearest equivalent to the BahnCard 100 in the UK is £17,680, the cost of 26 14 day All Line Rovers. But even that has restrictions, whereas the BahnCard 100 gives unlimited travel on all trains in Germany for about £3,200 a year, making GB more than 5 times more expensive.
 

craigwilson

Member
Joined
3 Jan 2010
Messages
424
Location
Buxton, Derbyshire
My monthly season (Margate - Sandwich) has gone up to £112.90 from £108.70, a rise of 3.8%. Compared to some rises, it could be much worse.

Southeastern have partially rectified an anomaly existing where Faversham - Sandwich seasons are £88.40/month, both for ANY PERMITTED and for VIA HERNE BAY. In January the VIA HERNE BAY goes to £91.80 (also a 3.8% rise), but the ANY PERMITTED goes to £159.80/month - effectively 81% fare increase if you happen to need the freedom to use both routes!

I suspect however, that my colleague who currently uses this particular season ticket, will just stick to coming via Herne Bay from January onwards!! :D
 

Dave1987

On Moderation
Joined
20 Oct 2012
Messages
4,563
But it is extortionate. That's almost twice the cost of a German "Bahn Pass 100", which gives you unlimited travel on the entire German rail network for 12 months. (And, of course, on much nicer trains).

What do you quantify as nicer trains? A lot of German trains are same age as our trains but in this country people cannot live without a plug socket for their smartphones or tablets and wifi. I a train doesn't have these luxuries it is considered old and knackered.
 

jon0844

Veteran Member
Joined
1 Feb 2009
Messages
30,889
Location
UK
Yeah, not all the trains in Germany are brand new either.. or in Sweden, or probably all over mainland Europe.

It doesn't make sense to keep building new trains if you can refurbish them - and given most carriages are just long empty tubes, you can pretty easily upgrade them until they - literally - fall to bits.
 

Goatboy

Established Member
Joined
23 Jun 2011
Messages
2,274
Yeah, not all the trains in Germany are brand new either.. or in Sweden, or probably all over mainland Europe.

It doesn't make sense to keep building new trains if you can refurbish them - and given most carriages are just long empty tubes, you can pretty easily upgrade them until they - literally - fall to bits.

But shiney and new with constant price rises is good, right?

Everyone would prefer that to refurbished with lower fares?
 

radamfi

Established Member
Joined
29 Oct 2009
Messages
9,267
What's good about German trains? Suburban trains are nearly always electric and usually of decent length in conurbations similar in size to those in the north of England where by contrast you get 2 coach noisy DMU trains.

ICE trains still have compartments where you can turn off the lights and sit in the dark at night.

Similar timetables 7 days a week where branch lines have well timed connections with the mainline.
 
Last edited:

kieron

Established Member
Joined
22 Mar 2012
Messages
3,281
Location
Connah's Quay
I'm baffled that one of the price increase examples is Ellesmere Port-Chester.
This must be one of the least-used commuter flows in the region (indirect, 1 change, slower than the bus).
Maybe it is because it is one of the few flows to have a below-average increase.
It's particularly odd given that anyone who does regularly make that journey by rail would be more likely to use a Merseyrail Railpass instead, costing only £602.

Perhaps it all looks the same to a BBC journalist.
 

Clip

Established Member
Joined
28 Jun 2010
Messages
10,821
But it is extortionate. That's almost twice the cost of a German "Bahn Pass 100", which gives you unlimited travel on the entire German rail network for 12 months. (And, of course, on much nicer trains).

But we dont live in Germany.


And Im more outraged at the price of a can of beer is going up 12% so I just found out. Thats far worse.
 

cjp

Member
Joined
28 Jan 2012
Messages
1,059
Location
In front of a computer
Oh how predicable are the press? Every year the same old knocking copy against the railway with dodgy statistics & unfair comparisons. :roll:

Still - I suppose it helps sell papers & line the pockets of the rich who own those papers...<(

Your comment might be valid if the quote had not come from the web pages of the BBC who do not go out of their way to sell papers :D
 

Cletus

Established Member
Joined
11 Dec 2010
Messages
2,398
Location
Dover
If season tickets are going up 6.46% from Dover Priory does that mean other fares, ie off peak returns will rise by the same percentage?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-20521307

Some rail commuters in England will face a rise of almost 6.5% for their season tickets next year.

Fares in England, Scotland and Wales will go up by 4.2% on average. Last month, the PM intervened to limit average rises to 1% above inflation.

The biggest rise in 2013 would be 6.46% to £4,940 for an annual ticket from the Kent stations of Ramsgate, Dover Priory and Deal to London.


I wonder what the justification for such a large increase is?
Is there a place the lists the year-on-year increases?
 

bb21

Emeritus Moderator
Joined
4 Feb 2010
Messages
24,461
If season tickets are going up 6.46% from Dover Priory does that mean other fares, ie off peak returns will rise by the same percentage?

Season tickets are regulated, while some of the walk-on fares are not regulated, so the answer is "no".

Even if the Dover Priory Off-Peak Return fare is regulated, it will also be only one item in a basket of fares, and only the overall increase of the basket has to be below the rate prescribed by the government, not each individual fare.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Top