rail passengers hit by fares hike again the AA grumpy column
Posted: Tue Dec 20, 2011 1:39 pm
hello again lord grumpy here with a glass of wine and xmas cheer
now you wont be going to london by inter city first great western, chiltern anglia, hull trains or any of the other many services or companies that travel to the capital.
why because you wont be able to afford to.
TRAIN fares will go up by an inflation-busting 5.9 per cent in the New Year hitting millions of cash-strapped families and workers.
Unions slammed the train companies today for "defying all economic logic" and increasing the squeeze on passengers.
They said the £4,000-a-year season ticket for commuters in the south-east of England would now become "commonplace" in 2012.
The Association of Train Operating Companies said fares would rise by an average of 5.9 per cent on January 2.
That is almost THREE TIMES higher than average wage growth in Britain.
It insisted the higher fares would go on new trains, faster services and better stations.
Chief exec Michael Roberts added: "The long-standing Government approach to sustaining rail investment is to cut the contribution from taxpayers and increase the share paid for by passengers."
But once again ATOC refused to release the fare increases of each train company operating in Britain, on peak or off-peak services.
The release came on the day MPs began their Christmas holidays. Just three months ago, former transport secretary Philip Hammond admitted the railways were becoming a "rich man's toy".
Rail unions chiefs at the TSSA said ATOC was "burying bad news".
TSSA boss Manuel Cortes said: "All other big companies, like Tesco and Sainsbury's, actually cut prices during the downturn. Even the BBC is freezing its licence fee.
"But they carry on with their inflation plus rises which will get even worse in 2013 and 2014 when passengers face RPI plus 3 per cent increases.
"Philip Hammond said the railways were becoming a rich man's toy. Well David Cameron seems determined to make that a reality over the next three years."
http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/ne ... r-cent.htm
AAG
as a car owner i very rarely use trains but some commuters dont have that choice but 5.9 per cent is absolutly diabolical the railways are pricing themselves out of the market to the ordinary traveller .
unlike in the days of good old british rail ( and i know they had their faults)
the railway companies now or train operating companies toc,s as they are known are answerable only to their share holders those fat cats who probably live as tax exiles in their villas in mabella or the germans french dutch or the yanks everyone now owns a little bit of british railway history.
yet the passengers will still suffer from overcrowded dirty trains packed like cattle into not enough carriages where the buffet car attendant has to close the buffet in between stops to collect tickets as companies cut staff and maximise profits.
and when you get to your journeys end assuming your train hasnt broken down or the signals or points havent failed or you havent hit some bovine trespasser or suicidal mainiac who jumps in front of your train or takes a tractor load of hay across the line you,ll get hammered and extra 5.9 % for the privillage.
this is the age of the train.
now you wont be going to london by inter city first great western, chiltern anglia, hull trains or any of the other many services or companies that travel to the capital.
why because you wont be able to afford to.
TRAIN fares will go up by an inflation-busting 5.9 per cent in the New Year hitting millions of cash-strapped families and workers.
Unions slammed the train companies today for "defying all economic logic" and increasing the squeeze on passengers.
They said the £4,000-a-year season ticket for commuters in the south-east of England would now become "commonplace" in 2012.
The Association of Train Operating Companies said fares would rise by an average of 5.9 per cent on January 2.
That is almost THREE TIMES higher than average wage growth in Britain.
It insisted the higher fares would go on new trains, faster services and better stations.
Chief exec Michael Roberts added: "The long-standing Government approach to sustaining rail investment is to cut the contribution from taxpayers and increase the share paid for by passengers."
But once again ATOC refused to release the fare increases of each train company operating in Britain, on peak or off-peak services.
The release came on the day MPs began their Christmas holidays. Just three months ago, former transport secretary Philip Hammond admitted the railways were becoming a "rich man's toy".
Rail unions chiefs at the TSSA said ATOC was "burying bad news".
TSSA boss Manuel Cortes said: "All other big companies, like Tesco and Sainsbury's, actually cut prices during the downturn. Even the BBC is freezing its licence fee.
"But they carry on with their inflation plus rises which will get even worse in 2013 and 2014 when passengers face RPI plus 3 per cent increases.
"Philip Hammond said the railways were becoming a rich man's toy. Well David Cameron seems determined to make that a reality over the next three years."
http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/ne ... r-cent.htm
AAG
as a car owner i very rarely use trains but some commuters dont have that choice but 5.9 per cent is absolutly diabolical the railways are pricing themselves out of the market to the ordinary traveller .
unlike in the days of good old british rail ( and i know they had their faults)
the railway companies now or train operating companies toc,s as they are known are answerable only to their share holders those fat cats who probably live as tax exiles in their villas in mabella or the germans french dutch or the yanks everyone now owns a little bit of british railway history.
yet the passengers will still suffer from overcrowded dirty trains packed like cattle into not enough carriages where the buffet car attendant has to close the buffet in between stops to collect tickets as companies cut staff and maximise profits.
and when you get to your journeys end assuming your train hasnt broken down or the signals or points havent failed or you havent hit some bovine trespasser or suicidal mainiac who jumps in front of your train or takes a tractor load of hay across the line you,ll get hammered and extra 5.9 % for the privillage.
this is the age of the train.