Passenger fury at ticket hikes on East Coast Main Line
Nov 17 2009 by Adrian Pearson, The Journal
Derek Sharman, vice chairman at the North Northumberland Tourism Association, warned that Berwick’s relatively remote location meant it and other parts of the region would be particularly hard hit by any rise. We often feel we are not covered here by the discounts offered, and any increase in unregulated fares would only make the situation worse.”
Tyne Bridge MP David Clelland, who sits on the House of Commons transport select committee, called on the Government-run railway to set a new standard.
He said: “It is early days for the new owners, these are obviously fares set by the previous operator. It is a difficult situation, they have to run a railway but balance those needs with the public’s demands for reasonably priced tickets.
“We don’t know what the economic situation will be a year from now, but if it is still in public hands then we would expect to see more restraint then.”
He was backed up by Anthony Smith, chief executive of rail customer watchdog Passenger Focus, who said many customers faced a “sting in the tail” despite claims of falling ticket prices.
He added: “We call upon the industry to be clear about which fares are going up and to publish average increases for unregulated fares for each train operating company.”
Yesterday one passenger at Newcastle Central Station, Geoffrey Leonard, 38, a builder from Durham said: “It’s disgraceful. You need the carriage standards to back up the prices and they don’t.”
An East Coast spokesperson said: “This change includes a combination of a +1.9% overall rise in unregulated fares and a -0.4% decrease in regulated fares – so some of our fares will be cheaper when these changes are introduced next January.
“We believe rail travel continues to offer good value for money when compared to driving or flying. Our plans to improve East Coast trains and stations will also create an even better railway for our customers”.
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