Anthony Steen MP

RAIL FARES SET TO SOAR

23 January 2006

Herald Express article

A threefold rise in rail fares, which is feared if Saver Tickets are scrapped, would have a serious impact on the region, campaigners warned last night.

The increases are likely to result from a plea to the Government by operators to have greater freedom in setting prices, plus the scrapping of saver tickets - the end of which would force passengers to use standard open return tickets.

For Plymouth to London this would cost £190 as opposed to the saver return price of £46.

Business leaders and transport groups in the region said the Westcountry's remoteness meant the railways were a vital artery, and their use should not be made prohibitively expensive.

Already, the cost of rail travel in the UK is far higher than in other European nations. According to research by the Liberal Democrats, £10 will allow you to travel 38 miles in Britain compared with 223 miles in Italy.

Fears over the possible scrapping of saver tickets come as the House of Commons Transport Committee is expected to report on rail fares next month.

Jeremy Filmer-Bennett, chief executive of Devon and Cornwall Business Council, said the response from business in the region was that the cost of using rail travel was already at the limit.

"The situation now is that if more than one person from a business is making a journey they travel together by car because it is cheaper than the train," he said. "If we are to get people off the roads and on to trains it has to be reasonably priced."

Business council chairman Tim Jones said: "We know rail travel is popular, but they don't want to kill the goose that lays the golden egg by putting fares up too high."

A spokesman for Virgin Trains, which operates some services into the Westcountry, said last night the suggestion that fares would treble was incorrect. Operating companies were seeking greater flexibility, which would see a better price for some fares, although he admitted it meant others would rise. "It could mean that a standard return would stay the same, while some savers will go up," he said.

A spokesman for First Great Western said: "We hope that greater flexibility will enable us to provide more attractive fare structures for our customers across the network."

Totnes Conservative MP Anthony Steen, a passionate supporter of the railways, said that if the Government allowed fares to rise it would hit people on lower incomes.

"Rail fares are expensive enough as it is, but an increase will force people on to the roads, which would be sheer madness," he said. "We will have traffic congestion for hundreds of miles, and it will damage the environment."

Malcolm Bell, chief executive of South West Tourism, said: "Ninety per cent of our customers arrive in the South West on the road using cars and coaches," he said. "This increase would come at a time when we want to see more people use the trains.

"Because so many people use the roads to get here, an increase in rail fares might not have a huge effect. It might depend on fuel prices, but it will certainly penalise people who cannot drive or choose not to."

David Redgewell, of pressure group Transport 2000, said: "We are opposed to the Government deregulating rail fares - it would be an absolute disaster. Without saver tickets it will become a rich man's railway."

Martin Stoolman, who represents the group in Devon, said it was very concerned about increases in "walk-on" rail fares.

"It seems that in future the railways will be closed to anybody who has not previously bought a ticket," he said. "The environmental impact is also a great concern if people continue to use their cars for all journeys, or use air travel instead."

Malcolm Naylor, chief executive of Air Southwest, said: "A large part of our success since we started in late 2003 is that we have been able to undercut the railways and offer a quicker, cheaper and more comfortable journey. Without saver fares on the railway we would only expect that gap to widen."

Simon Lilley, of Exeter-based Flybe, said: "Regional train services in the UK, subsidised to the tune of £15 billion a year and in a monopoly situation, have actually put prices up. That is why people are choosing to fly with airlines, for speed, comfort and price."