East Midlands Trains has announced rail fares will be increasing which has sparked an angry reaction from commuters.
There will be a 1.5 per cent rise in ticket prices as of January 2, meaning the average price of a single journey will go up by 23p.
Despite being below the July inflation rate of 1.9% – which is used by the Government to set all regulated fares – the rise has been criticised by passengers and campaigners.
Train passengers took to Twitter this morning to react to the announcement.
Surely rail fare rises should only happen if train firms hit their punctuality targets – which they are not
— Chris Choi (@Chrisitv) December 2, 2016
@EMTrains why should I pay for a train that’s late every day? 8.10. 8.33 & 8.56 Attenborough to Nottingham are never on time. Abhorrent
— Jono Martin (@jonomartinlikes) December 2, 2016
So train fares are going up… should be free the service is so inconsistent – yesterday @MrEduardoB had to get a taxi – train didn’t stop
— Jacquie Beltrao (@SkyJacquie) December 2, 2016
Train fares are rising AGAIN??!? No no. No way. I dunno what to do about it though!
— ma crepe suzette (@nocaityescait) December 2, 2016
East Midlands Trains has said that the fares cover the day-to-day running of the network and help to support the government.
Managing director Jake Kelly said: “We have worked hard to offer the best value travel for our customers.
“The changes in January will mean fares for East Midlands Trains customers will on average reduce in real terms.
“As well as helping to fund the biggest national investment in the railways since Victorian times through increased payments to Government, the money from fares is also helping to drive many real improvements for customers across our network.”
Campaign for Better Transport also responded to the news saying customers should receive fairer and cheaper fares
Campaigner Lianna Etkind said: “With next year’s regulated rail fares rising by nearly 2 per cent, with some unregulated, walk-on fares rising even further, people are now finding themselves priced off the railways.
“The train operating companies and the Government need to work closely together to provide fairer, simpler and cheaper fares making sure people are always sold the cheapest ticket available.
“Between 1995 and 2016 passengers have seen average fares increase by 23.5 per cent and much more needs to be done by train operators and the Government to give them a truly affordable railway.
“It is also time the Government stopped dragging its feet and introduced flexible season tickets with fair discounts for the eight million part-time workers across the UK as promised.”
