Nightmare Journey's Magazine

NIGHTMARE

Craig.J.McCarthy

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world. T e h t h n i em s e r os i a f t

train faire ’ s i n ive

We have the most expensive train fares in the world. We pay 20% more on average than the rest of Europe, and our season tickets are twice as high. Some season tickets now cost the equivalent of a fifth of the average UK salary.

Fares are set to rise 25% over the next four years – up to £1,300 more for some season tickets

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8 out of 10 people oppose the Government’s plans to increase fares even

unced in h is was the single most unpopular policy anno more in 2012. T the spending review. (YouGov).

Since 1997, the cost of train travel has increased in real terms by 13%; the

cost of road travel has fallen by 14% and the average price of a one way flight from Britain has fallen by ain’s train tickets assenger Focus (2009), Brit 35% Fact: According to P are, on average, the most expensive in Europ

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Day return: Britain £6.92 / Germany £5.08 / Spain £2.52 / France

£1.85. (Passenger Focus; ave rages for

journeys of three to 10 miles).

Annual season ticket: Britain £1,860 / France £990 / Germany

£944 / Spain £788 / Italy £444. (Passenger Focus; averages for journeys

of 11 to 25 miles). Fact: T h e Campaign for Better

Transport explains that the fare rises, which came into effect on 2

January 2011, mean that commuters in some parts of are being asked to pay £5,192, or 20%

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h is average UK salary, for their annual season ticket. T

is the equivalent of transport secretary Philip Hammond MP being asked to pay £27,

034 for a season ticket

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PEAK TIMES Peak fares can start at 3pm. Train operators Virgin and East Coast charge passengers peak fares from as early as 3pm, an investigation has found.Network Rail up to 40% less efficient in maintaining railway tracks and stations than European rivals, says regulator (September 2010) The 07.42 from Reading to London Paddington, operated by First Great Western, carried on average 326 passengers more than the train’s capacity of 533. Described by the DfT as a ‘very popular service into Paddington’, it was one of 10 trains identified in a Freedom of Information reply. The figures were compiled in a snapshot survey taken in late 2009.Overcrowding on trains in England and Wales will get substantially worse over

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CRAIG.J.MCCARTHY