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MPs may launch an inquiry into ticket rises
Nicholas Cecil, Chief Political Correspondent05.01.09
RAIL firms today faced a fresh parliamentary inquiry into "enormous" increases in rail fares.
The chairman of the all-party Commons transport select committee told the Evening Standard that an investigation into the cost of tickets might now be launched.
Labour MP Louise Ellman warned that customers were being priced off the railways with inflation-linked fare rises at a time when the Government is seeking to promote green travel.
She said: "We should be making it easier to ride by train. We have criticised train companies in the past over ticket prices and may well return to this issue in another inquiry. These are enormous increases."
MPs had pleaded with Transport Secretary Geoff Hoon to intervene to stop the exceptionally big rises.
The transport committee warned in a July report that it was "deeply concerned" by the "rapid shift" in rail funding from taxpayer to passenger.
The MPs called for the transition to be "paced" to avoid sharp jumps in the cost of tickets.
Mr Hoon refused to intervene and the committee is poised to renew the debate over the formula for setting fares.
More than 30 MPs signed a Commons motion last month calling for the Government to ban inflation-busting fare rises.
The increases come as it was revealed that rail firms are making a combined profit of £330million. Go-Ahead, which runs services into London from Kent, made pre-tax profit of £58million in its most recent half-year figures and Stagecoach made a surplus of £105million.
Reader views (10)
John, Wapping
If South Worst Trains were advertising a price, are they not legally obliged to honour it ?
- John Bloomfield, Twickenham
As long as we have UNACCOUNTABLE political parties governing this country we'll have one crisis after another and each blaming the other for their incompetence. Rail fares are a total incomprehensible mess and exorbitant in their pricing. Most times it's cheaper for one person to travel in s fuel guzzler than travel by train transport. Soon the only people traveling will be the elite. Motorists are slowly being forced off the highways by governments and by civil service policies, the police are now starting to enforce rediculious laws and penalties. Soon the elite will be the only traveling population left.
Wake up people and see what the future is starting to behold and lets do something.
I've seen the replies from otherson similar subjects and they have realised what behold us for the future.
- A Winsley, London UK
Why do we keep up with this Nu Labor circus?? We need more competition - these tickets are ridiculously expensive and nowhere so expensive in the rest of Europe!!
- Steveo, London, NW1
On Friday South West Trains machines were displaying old prices, but charging new prices.
- John, Wapping
Nationalize. Privatization has failed.
- Mick, London, England
They "may" but they won't. Same old story every year.
- John, London, UK
That Geoff is a real Hoon!
- Lord Elvis Of Paisley, Paisley
There's no point blaming Hoon or any other New Labour clown. The electorate have continually voted in this sham Labour Party that is no more than a softened out Tory Party. You know what you get with the Tories. Privatisation; a blind eye turned to big business misdemeanours; stuff the workers. Until our railways are renationalised, this nonsense will continue.
Launch an enquiry ? Just a cover-up for more and more procrastination until the electorate is not looking or just gets bored.
- Tony, N19, London, England
Our useless MPs will just let this go through on the nod. After all, they don't pay fares, and if it doesn't effect them personally, they won't bother.
- Lezl, London / UK
It's time Geoff Goon was sacked - he's totally useless.
- Lezl, London / UK
