Train fares rise after year of misery for travellers

Another New Year brought another round of fare increases for rail passengers across Britain on Wednesday, despite the National Rail network suffering its worst performance in 13 years in 2018.

Fares were increasing by an average of 3.1% in England and Wales, with the price of a ticket going up by just under 3% in Scotland.

Those largest increases in England and Wales would see the price of some season tickets increase by more than £100.

The increases were justified by Transport Secretary Chris Grayling, who said the government had made a “record investment” in the country’s railways, and pointed to new discounts being introduced for young people.

According to a report from the Press Association, an average of one in seven trains were delayed by five minutes or more in the 12 months to 31 December.

The biggest delays came as new timetables were introduced to the Northern, Southern, Thameslink, Great Northern and Gatwick Express networks in May.

Rail operators blamed the shambolic implementation, which saw commuters suffer through months of emergency timetables and cancelled services, on the very short notice provided by the Department for Transport of the new schedules.

Chris Grayling himself also came under fire for his apparent lack of concern, allowing the chaos to continue through the summer without stepping in.

Unions accuse rail firms of profiteering

The Trade Unions Congress (TUC) hit out at the increases, pointing out that the UK’s private rail operators dished out over £1bn to shareholders in the last six years - cash that it said should be spent on improvements to infrastructure.

General secretary Frances O’Grady said it was rewarding failure, and taking money away that should be invested in better services.

Rail operators defended their position, however, with Rail Delivery Group regional director Robert Nisbet claiming that 11 of the UK’s 17 rail operators were introducing new rolling stock this year.

Rail companies rarely carried the burden of new rolling stock, however, with trains being purchased and owned by the rolling stock leasing companies, which then rent the sets to the operators.

The operators also have little choice in the timing or size of new rolling stock orders, with those decisions usually being a part of their franchise negotiations with the Department for Transport.

Transport secretary highlights new discounts

In his defence of the fare hikes, Chris Grayling pointed to the extension of discounts to younger passengers, and announced a further discount for youth still in education.

A new discount railcard for those aged between 26 and 30 was being launched at midday GMT, essentially extending the Young Person’s (16-25) Railcard discount for another four years, while a railcard allowing 16 and 17-year-olds to pay child’s fares would be launched later in the year for those in full-time education or training.

While Railcards do provide sizeable discounts of one-third off fares, they can’t be used in the morning peak and do cost passengers £30 per year.

London fares remain frozen - for some customers

The situation was looking brighter for commuters living within London’s fare zones, which cover the entire capital and stretch into parts of Essex, Sussex, Surrey, Hertfordshire and Buckinghamshire.

Thanks to an election promise by Greater London Authority mayor Sadiq Khan, all fares that were entirely under his jurisdiction remain the same.

This only included London Underground, Docklands Light Railway and TfL bus services, however, as those services are operated or contracted directly by Transport for London.

Fares on National Rail services in London rose in line with the national increases, as well as those on London Overground and TfL Rail services, as those trains use National Rail tracks and stations.

The cost of Travelcards and Oyster card and contactless fare caps also rose, to compensate for the increase in National Rail fares.

Khan’s fare freeze has been criticised for the fact it does not cover most commuters, who use Oyster caps or Travelcards for their regular travel.

It has also come under fire for its poor timing, being implemented at the same time as Westminster pulled its subsidy of Transport for London, leaving an annual funding hole in the hundreds of millions.

As a result, a number of transport upgrades have faced a funding crisis, including Crossrail, while other projects, such as a plan for extra tube trains, have been cancelled altogether.