LONDON: Trades Union Congress (TCU) has complained that the recent hike in rail fares has outstripped wage growth despite the service being plagued with delays and overcrowding.
The TUC said the UK had some of the highest rail fares in Europe, and that UK passengers spent respectively more than twice as much of their salary on tickets compared to those in other countries such as Spain, France or Germany.
TUC’s general secretary Frances O’Grady said this year’s fare hike will hit passengers particularly hard because wages are rising so slowly. Rail fares are now consuming huge proportion of people’s wages, leaving precious little for other bread and butter expenses.
Transport secretary Patrick McLoughlin said I accept 2.5% is more than a passenger wants to pay and any increase is to be regrettable. But we are investing in the biggest rail modernisation since the Victorian era. He added that the government was protecting passengers from operating companies who would have increased individual fares by a further 2%.
Director General of the Rail Delivery Group representing rail operators and Network Rail Michael Roberts said at 2.2%, the average increase in fares in 2015 is the lowest for five years. He went on to say that for every £1 spent on fares, a total of 97p went back into improving the industry.
Earlier this week, Network Rail chief executive Mark Carne revealed he would not be taking his bonus after Christmas engineering works overran and caused major rail disruption.
Regulated fares such as season tickets have risen by up to 2.5% and the average fare of a rail ticket in Britain has increased by 2.2%.
