Britain’s rail pains: Train tickets can be up to SEVEN TIME more expensive than similar European journeys (and this is before the 3.8% hike in March).

  • British rail passengers pay seven times as much as Europeans for their journeys.
  • Journey between Prague and Ostrava in Czech Republic just £9.36
  • But similar length journey between London and Manchester is £66.10- seven times more 
  •  Louise Haigh, Labour’s transport spokesman, said the figures showed UK rail passengers were being ripped off










An analysis of rail fares revealed that British passengers are spending up to seven-times more than Europeans.

It found that an off-peak single for the 168-mile service between Prague and Ostrava in the Czech Republic costs just £9.36. However the journey of similar length between London and Manchester is £66.10 – around seven times more.

Passengers in France can buy an off-peak single for the 425-mile journey between Paris and Nice for £52.10. But the fare for London to Inverness, which is 18 miles farther, is £124.

The Labour Party research also revealed that the ten-mile trip from Rotterdam to Delft is £3.36 – £5 less than the 11 miles from Bath to Bristol. The 28 miles from Turin to Asti is only £4.86 off peak, yet the equivalent journey from Leeds to Sheffield is £12.20.

Research found that an off-peak single for the 168-mile service between Prague and Ostrava in the Czech Republic costs just £9.36. However the journey of similar length between London and Manchester is £66.10 ¿ around seven times more

Research found that an off-peak single for the 168-mile service between Prague and Ostrava in the Czech Republic costs just £9.36. However the journey of similar length between London and Manchester is £66.10 – around seven times more

Louise Haigh, Labour's transport spokesman, said the figures showed UK rail passengers were being ripped off. Pictured: File image of a train

Louise Haigh (Labour’s transport spokesperson) stated that the numbers showed UK rail passengers being ripped off. Pictured: Image of a train

Rail firms took bailouts… and gave £38m to shareholders 

 By Transport Correspondent for the Daily Mail

Train companies paid shareholders up to £38million last year despite being bailed out by taxpayers to the tune of billions amid the pandemic.

Analyse by the Office of Rail and Road monitor shows that 6 out of 20 operators indicated in their annual accounts they would give dividends to shareholders for 2020/21. 

It is in addition to £15billion ministers put into railways in the pandemic, effectively taking them into public ownership.

The highest dividends identified by the ORR were for CrossCountry (up to £12million), Avanti West Coast (£11million), MTR Crossrail (£7million) and Arriva Rail London (£6million).

 Former rail minister Norman Baker said the payments were ‘not a good look’ at a time when fares are rising.

Avanti West Coast operator First Rail spokesmen said that the payments were a management fee paid by government to perform the services they have contracted us to.

Transport for London’s spokesperson said that the company contracts MTR Crossrail as well as Arriva Rail London. He added: “Whenever possible, TfL collaborated with operators to make savings.”

CrossCountry didn’t respond to our requests for comment.

 

Louise Haigh (Labour’s Transport Spokesperson) stated that the numbers showed UK Rail passengers being ripped off.

She said: “With so many foreign-owned railway companies running our trains, UK travelers are funding cheaper fares throughout Europe to a higher priced, privatised service.

“Incredibly the Tories still plan to crush passengers with another harsh fare hike in spring.”

Tickets prices will rise by 3.8% starting March 1st, the largest increase in ticket prices since 2013.

Linked to the retail prices index, the annual rise will see the cost of the typical season ticket go up by nearly £120, to £3,263, at a time when workers are facing higher household and energy bills. The fares on these trains can be much lower because they are more subsidised.

Campaigners argue that lowering fares could be done without additional subsidies, as higher revenues would result from higher demand.

Norman Baker, a former rail minister, is now an advisor at Campaign for Better Transport. He said that ‘rail fares are too costly in this country. 

They have consistently gone above inflation for the past thirty years. At the same time, we have seen fuel duty frozen on motorists and cut off air passenger duty for the airlines.

‘So the Government has been making carbon-busting forms of transport cheaper and putting up the cost of more environmentally-friendly transport such as trains and buses. 

“If rail fares were reduced, especially if done in a creative way, more people would use the railways, which could lead to higher income.

Rail Delivery Group spokesmen said, “This simple analysis sometimes ignores the great deals available in Britain when booking ahead and does not take into account the fact that passengers may find more trains and have shorter travel times.

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