COMMUTERS are set for an above-inflation rail price hike in the new year. Regulated fares – season tickets, savers and standard day returns – will rise by an average of 4.8 per cent, according to the Association of Train Operating Companies (ATOC). This is an average of 0.6 per cent above the current rate of inflation as measured by the Retail Price Index, which currently stands at 4.2 per cent. Off-peak fares will also increase by an average of 4.3 per cent. Alton Line Users' chairman Chris Campbell has lambasted the proposed price hikes as "scandalous". "This will mean that rail fares for Alton commuters will have risen by up to 30 per cent in 12 months (they went up five per cent in January, 20 per cent in May), compared to other lines like Basingstoke (0.5 per cent in May) where competition from other networks has resulted in much lower price rises. Mr Campbell believes this adds insult to injury for Alton rail users who are having to endure "the slowest journey time for 50 years" with an average time of 77 minutes to Waterloo, rather than the 60 minutes previously enjoyed. Currently, a weekly ticket from Alton to London Waterloo costs £73.10, while a monthly ticket is £280.80. A peak time day return is £26.10. (Basingstoke to Waterloo is £29). From January 2, the cost of the journey will increase to £76.40 and £293.40 respectively with the peak time day return standing at £27.40. Anthony Smith, chief executive of independent rail watchdog Passenger Focus, remarked: "Passengers will be dismayed that fares are going up again, especially as on most routes they have no choice about which train company to use. "This is the reality of the government's strategy for our railways. Passengers should brace themselves for fare rises from now until 2014 as their contribution to railway services nearly doubles from £5 billion to £9 billion each year. They will rightly expect a better service for this." George Muir, director general of ATOC, defended the rise. "We need the revenue from fares to pay for investment in the railway for the benefit of passengers," he said. "We are providing a higher-performing railway with new, refurbished and more punctual trains and better stations. Nearly 91 per cent of trains ran on time between April and September this year, the highest punctuality level for a decade." South West Trains also announced that more than 5,000 super off-peak and many saver fares will be held at current prices. It claims the freeze will make "many weekend and off-peak journeys even more affordable for millions of passengers".
