newtonfox
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http://uk.news.yahoo.com/4/20090102/tuk-rail-fares-increased-by-up-to11-dba1618.html
Rail fares increased by up to 11%
7 hours 28 mins ago
Rail passengers are facing the prospect of paying fare rises well above the inflation level, with some tickets increasing by more than 11 per cent. Skip related content
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Rail fares increased by up to 11%
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Customer watchdog body Passenger Focus said rail travellers would "shudder and shiver" when they saw the new fares.
But the Association of Train Operating Companies (Atoc) said some fares were staying the same or going down and commuting by rail was "considerably less expensive than commuting by car".
Regulated fares, which include annual season tickets, will be going up by an average of six per cent and unregulated fares, which include off-peak tickets, will be rising even more - by an average of seven per cent.
Passengers have been particularly hard hit this year, as the new year price rise is based on whatever the retail price index (RPI) inflation is in the previous July.
The July 2008 RPI was as high as five per cent, which meant regulated fares (subject to annual rises of RPI plus one per cent) now have to rise by six per cent.
The hardest-hit commuters are those on Southeastern services which run into London from Kent and Sussex.
Passenger Focus chief executive, Anthony Smith, said: "Many passengers will shudder and shiver when they find out the scale of some new year fare rises. Fare rises that hark back to a time of high inflation and spiralling energy costs look very out of kilter.
"In addition, the perpetual tinkering with ticket restrictions ensure back-door fare rises continue. Yet again, many long-distance passengers will be pushed into paying higher prices or locking themselves into rigid advance-purchase, one-train-only fares."
