Rail passenger groups have criticised inflation-busting fare increases introduced on Tuesday with regulated fares soaring by an average of 5.9 per cent.
The Association of Train Operating Companies (ATOC) announced the price hike last month, and said it would help pay for new trains, faster services and better stations. But Mike Crowhurst of pressure group Railfuture said the true cost of fares could be even higher.
"Although the headline is six per cent for regulated fares, train companies are free to increase other fares by more than this," he said. "Rail passengers are penalised with increases above inflation every year. I don't think motorists or airline passengers will be suffering price hikes like this.
"Train operators can also make travel more expensive without changing any ticket prices. They can change the definition of peak times so that passengers have to upgrade from a discounted ticket to a full price one."
But ATOC chief executive Michael Roberts said the price rises were part of the Government's long-term approach to cut the contribution towards fares from taxpayers, and increase the share paid by passengers.
“The industry is working together to continue cutting costs as a way to help limit future fare rises and offer better value for money for taxpayers over the longer term," he said.
Public funding for the railways has dropped by a third since 2007, while the money raised through fares has steadily increased. Currently, passengers contribute around £6.5bn and taxpayers £4bn a year to the running of the railways. However, Mike Crowhurst said rail fares in Britain were already the highest in Europe, which had a number of knock-on effects.
"Firms who might want to invest in the UK face the disincentive that their workers will face eye-watering fares, but not only that, the bus services have been slashed too," he said.
"We think that more people will be driven on to the roads, which will result in even more congestion and pollution.
"There are many reasons why the wider community benefits from a decent rail network, and it's in everyone's interest that passengers are not priced off the railway."
