The snow is falling, the temperature is dropping and Network Rail have managed to stuff up yet more engineering work on some of the busiest railway lines in the country!
In fact the only thing they seem to be good at engineering is more misfortune and misery for rail passengers but that's just our opinion.
In all of this, it may have escaped your attention that rail fares went up by nearly 11% yesterday.
That is bound to give you a warm fuzzy feeling on a nice cold day isn't it? No, we thought not...
Yep rail fares have jumped by over twice the rate of inflation. Regulated fares, (which include most season tickets), are going up by an average of 4.8%, and many unregulated fares are set to rise by much more.
Consumer groups said the rises were unjustified, but train operators said they were needed for improvements. (although no amount of money could improve the service of certain train operators could it?)
Train operators said the average rise of unregulated fares, which include cheap day returns, advance purchases and long-distance open tickets, would be 5.4%.
However, rail consumer watchdog Passenger Focus said some fares had gone up much more than this, and warned that many passengers would be very upset about the news.
Examples cited were:
- Annual season ticket from Gillingham, in Kent, to London has risen from £2,496 to £2,740 - a 9.78% increase.
- Annual season ticket from Canterbury to London has risen from £3,132 to £3,480- an 11% increase.
Anthony Smith, the Chief executive of Passenger Focus, said:
"Steep rises on individual routes are masked by the average figures published by the industry. This will lead to passengers having to dig deep into their pockets. These unjustified and unfair rises will rankle."
Some users of First Great Western trains (
although how they have the gall to use the word "Great" in their name is beyond us), and who operate one of the most overcrowded and least punctual services in the country, are to stage a revolt at the fare hike and the service's poor performance.
The campaign group More Train Less Strain (MTLS) is planning to build on a small-scale protest, held last year, during which passengers refused to buy tickets and instead produced specially printed "protest tickets".
Peter Andrews, a spokesman for MTLS, said:
"We are seeing cancellations, delays and fare increases that are well above and beyond the rate of inflation,""The travelling public has had enough."
However, George Muir, director-general of the Association of Train Operating Companies (Atoc), said the rises were necessary:
"The revenue from fares helps pay for investment that directly benefits passengers. Billions of pounds are now being spent to improve the railway and the results are showing through."
In addition, a Department for Transport spokesman said:
"Passenger numbers are at record levels, making nonsense of suggestions that people are being priced off the railway. This growth, along with sustained investment by the government, is helping pay for major investment in the network."
The Conservatives say all of who use trains are now "paying the price for the government's complete failure" to reduce fares and other costs associated with the UK's railways.
So, do you think the rail fares are fair?
- On one hand, we do need to raise revenue to pay for service improvements and better trains and how else we will get the money if not through increased train fares?
- Alternatively, is it too much to expect the train operators to work with their existing budget and use some of their proft margin to ensure a better service?
- Another question to ask is whether or not the Government should be providing a cash injection to help our ailing rail industry?
Maybe it is time it did; after all, we did pioneer the concept of railway travel and our railways used to be the envy of the world. Now our train service is just a laughing stock...
Why not let us know what you think?