Rail commuters in the Midlands stung again with rail fares set to rise 25 per cent since 2010

Rail fares for season tickets and other regulated fares are set to go up by 3.6% on average from January 2015, the TUC and rail unions warn today (Tuesday).

Analysis of season ticket prices for popular commuter routes across the Midlands show that some fares are set for eye-watering increases in 2015. For example a season ticket from Northampton to London is set to increase by £185 to an eye-watering £5,317; Chesterfield to Derby by £75 to £2,155; while Stoke on Trent to Birmingham New Street could rise by £102 to £2,934. The TUC has set up a rail fare rise projector – ­available at www.tuc.org.uk/railfareprojector2015 – to show how regulated fares have increased since 2010.

Next year’s wage-busting fare hikes will mean that rail fares will have increased by 24.9 per cent over the current parliament (2010 to 2015), and have risen faster than wages in every year. Over the same period, average earnings have increased by just 10.7 per cent, meaning rail fares have risen more than twice as fast as wages under the current government.

Midlands TUC Regional Secretary, Lee Barron said: Yet again rail commuters in the Midlands are going to suffer from inflation busting rail fare rises for the coming year. And, of course, this is all happening at a time whilst wages are continuing to fall in real terms.

Its clear for all to see that privatisation of the rail network has led to higher prices year on year. We need to see immediate action to get fares under control and to build a rail network that works for ordinary people rather than the privateers who are bleeding commuters in the Midlands dry.

- Estimates of season ticket price rises in 2015, based on RPI forecast at 2.6 per cent

NOTES TO EDITORS:

Interviews with TUC representatives will be possible at Derby and Wolverhampton stations

• Midlands TUC Regional Secretary Lee Barron will be at Wolverhampton Station from 7.30-9.00am
• Midlands TUC Policy and Campaigns Officer, Rob Johnston, will be at Derby Station 7.30-9.00am

- Action for Rail actions will take place at the following stations in the Midlands:

• Derby: 7.30am–9am
• Nottingham: 5pm–6pm
• Burton-on-Trent, Staffordshire: 4.00pm-5.50pm
• Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire: 7.30am–9am; 12noon–1pm; 4.30pm–6pm
• Wolverhampton, West Midlands: 7am–9am

• Additional flexibility means that some regulated fares could even increase by up to 5.6 per cent (RPI plus three per cent
• Passenger Focus surveys show that only 45 per cent of rail passengers believe that the services they use provides value for money
• In 2012/13 train operating companies collectively received £1.3bn in direct subsidies through franchise receipts and a further £3.9bn in indirect subsidy through investment in Network Rail services. In return, train operating companies paid back just £1.2bn in franchise payments to the government, but they took £172m in profits and paid out £204m in dividends to shareholders.
• A YouGov Poll in November 2013 found that 66 per cent of those surveyed were in favour of returning the railways to public ownership.
• ONS data for the rates of earnings increases since 2010 are 4.3 per cent in January 2011, 0.2 per cent in January 2012, 1.1 per cent in January 2013 and 1.6 per cent in January 2014. The OBR has projected an increase to average earnings of 3.1 per cent over the year 2014/15, which implies a total increase of 10.7 per cent to average earnings between January 2010 and spring 2015.
• The average annual increases to regulated rail fares since 2010 have been 7.1 per cent in 2011, 4.8 per cent in 2012, 4.2 per cent in 2013, and 3.1 per cent in 2014. Using an RPI forecast of 2.6 per cent for July 2015, this will mean an increase to average annual rail fares of 24.9 per cent in 2015 relative to fares in 2010.
• While train operating companies often claim that fare rises are needed for investment, research has demonstrated that genuine at-risk private investment accounts for only 1% of the total money invested in the railway each year. (www.transportforqualityoflife.com/u/files/120630_Rebuilding_Rail_Final_Report_print_version.pdf). 
• Financial information on the rail industry is published annually by the Office of the Rail Regulator (http://orr.gov.uk/publications/reports/gb-rail-industry-financial-information-2012-13).
•  Action for Rail brings together the TUC, ASLEF, RMT, TSSA and Unite to work with passenger groups, rail campaigners and environmentalists to campaign against cuts to rail services and staffing and to promote the case for integrated, national rail under public ownership. For more information please visit www.actionforrail.org

- Follow the Midlands TUC on Twitter: @MidlandsTUC

Media enquiries:

Lee Barron, Regional Secretary, T: 0121 236 4454 M: 07919102472 E: lbarron@tuc.org.uk

Rob Johnston, Policy & Campaigns Officer  T: 0121 236 4454 M: 07879497291   E: rjohnston@tuc.org.uk