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mark occomore · Joined: 07 Dec 2006 Posts: 9955 Location: UK

Rail fares are set to increase above inflation. The increase is to take the cost away from the Tax Payer. Pay from infrastructure of up and coming projects. Obviously more investment in carriages and punctuality needs to continue.

Remember you are able to continue to buy cheap fares 12 weeks in advance online, but doesn't help those who buy fares on the day of travel.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-19251068

ColinB · Guest

mark occomore · Joined: 07 Dec 2006 Posts: 9955 Location: UK

Look here.' The tax payer does pay into the railways. The rail operators are trying to take the cost away from the traveller. Increase in profit helps improve the rail network. Bob Crow is suggesting nationalising the railways again. This would put a strain on the economy and country'.

ColinB · Guest

RockitRon · Joined: 07 Dec 2006 Posts: 7646

Let's cut to the chase.

The people who use the service are being asked to pay more for the privilege, and to make a contribution, over and above what they already make as taxpayers, to the investment in the new high-speed line from London to Birmingham, Liverpool and Manchester, and improvements to other parts of the infrastructure.

They are also being asked to pay more to enable the new train operators to meet their inflated financial commitments to government under the franchises which have been recently awarded or are being currently bid for - http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/comment/9473638/West-Coast-rail-bids-look-an-accident-waiting-to-happen.html

And finally they are being asked to pay more so that the government can reduce the taxpayers' subsidy of the less profitable parts of the network.

Since passenger numbers are now higher than they've been for 90 years, when the network was somewhat more extensive, people must believe that rail travel is good value for money, and I don't think that a price rise of 6.2% (average) is going to do that much to break that illusion.
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ColinB · Guest

R2Icon · Joined: 10 Sep 2009 Posts: 1444

I love trains but then I only travel off peak and in first class, so maybe my experience is not the norm. The trains from here to London are fantastic- bang on time, clean, tidy trains and only £21 each way, first class (off peak), provided you book in advance.

ColinB · Guest

When I go into London I try and go off-peak and I have to say that the service is very good. That's why I can't understand the thinking behind the DoT's awarding of the West Coast franchise to First. It can only be about the money (a reported £5.5bn) that will go into the treasury coffers. Whether First can deliver a better service than has Virgin since 1997 remains to be seen - but somehow I doubt it very much.

ruddlescat · Joined: 16 Sep 2010 Posts: 18010 Location: Near Chester

Whilst I don't travel by train as much as I probably should do I have used the West Coast Mainline service operated by Virgin on more than one occasion and have always found it efficient with the trains running on time

I remember travelling to Bristol a couple of years ago and the journey took less than three hours which I thought was very good going Smile

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