Train season ticket prices increase by up to £159 - and commuters are furious
8 August 2019, 14:35
Prices of train tickets are set to rise yet again despite the expensive current costs.
Train tickets are already very pricey, but they're soon set to rise again by a sizeable chunk.
The changes, which are set to hit at around January 2020 will see prices rise by 2.7 per cent, which is notably a larger rise than the rate of CPI inflation.
Those who commute in will have the nastiest surprise of all as the season tickets will rise a significant amount as of next year.
Britain's rail network will hike the prices up so that some of London's workers who live on the commuter belt will pay nearly £160 more!
For travellers from Guildford, Crawley and St Albans the price will jump by £103, from Stevenage £104, Chelmsford £110, Farnham £112, and Horsham, £113, according to figures from the Campaign for Better Transport.
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From Basingstoke, Reading, Bracknell and Maidstone, a season ticket will go up by £124, Tunbridge Wells £129, from Brighton £131, Cambridge £138, Oxford and Colchester £142, Milton Keynes £145, Canterbury £151 and Southampton Central £159.
The price hikes are already making our eyes water.
Arthur Leathley, chairman of London TravelWatch, which represents hundreds and thousands of commuters in and around London, said: “This latest rise is a kick in the teeth for all commuters but especially those in the most expensive towns.
“There needs to be a total reform of the fares system. The Government has pledged to do this, now the new secretary of state needs to take action.”
And it's not just the pricing of the train tickets that has infuriated commuters, as delayed and cancelled trains have been on the rise too, making the cost hike even more frustrating.
Darren Shirley, the chief executive for the Campaign for Better Transport said: “Next year’s fare rise will come as a blow to passengers already paying thousands of pounds to endure overcrowding, delays and trains that fail to stop at stations as scheduled,” said Darren Shirley, chief executive of the Campaign for Better Transport.
Transport Secretary Grant Shapps has demanded the latest data on train punctuality, which he highlighted has declined for seven years. “This not only infuriates commuters but overshadows a DOUBLING in passenger journeys over past 20 yrs,” he tweeted.
