"Passengers won’t believe this is not fake news!" - Transport Focus Chief on fare increases

Transport Focus has criticised today’s fare rises.

Chief Executive Anthony Smith said: “Passengers won’t believe this is not fake news! Rail fares are going up in January after a year blighted by timetable chaos, poor performance and strikes. Until day-to-day reliability returns, with fewer significant delays and cancellations, passenger trust won’t begin to recover.

“Passengers now pour over £10 billion a year into the railway alongside significant government investment, so the rail industry cannot be short of funding. When will this translate into a more reliable services that are better value for money?

“The Government’s Rail Review must bring changes to the industry that benefit passengers. It’s also time for a fairer, clearer fares formula based on a calculation that uses the Consumer Prices Index, rather than the discredited Retail Price Index.”

• For the FULL story, read RAIL 870, published on January 16, and available digitally on Android, iPad and Kindle from January 12.