Outrage as Brussels proposes plans to raise British train fares by 50%

Updated
Brit outrage as Brussels proposes plans to raise train fares by 50%
Brit outrage as Brussels proposes plans to raise train fares by 50%

PA


The European Commission in Brussels is attempting to push through a new plan that could see British train ticket prices rising by 50%.

High train prices - which have seen above-inflation rises of 6.2% this year - are already putting a squeeze on British commuters, but the new 'user pays' system would see passengers paying for the entire cost of rail travel - without government subsidy.

According to the Daily Mail, if the plan was implanted, all British Government funding would be removed, taking away the £4 billion worth of taxpayers money that currently goes towards the rail network.

The Mail uses the price of an annual season ticket between Sevenoaks and London to highlight the shocking impact it would have on ticket fares - a jump from £1,400 a year to £4,200 in this case.

Shadow Transport Secretary Maria Eagle has blasted the plans, and said she was shocked to find the 'user pays' proposal in the Commission's new Transport White Paper.

She also pointed out that train fares are already forecast to rise by more than the inflation rate over the next few years as Government's spending cuts take chunks out of the Transport Department's budget.

She said: 'There is little hope that Ministers will fight off this appalling plan from Brussels when the Tory-led Government is already shifting the cost of running the railways on to passengers.

'Over the next three years, commuters will see fares rise by as much as a third and many will end up paying a fifth of their salary just to get to work, more than they spend on their mortgage or rent.

'Now, this barmy EU plan risks pricing people off the railways altogether, adding to the congestion on Britain's roads.'

A European Commission spokeswoman explained: 'These are just proposals and any measures would have to be agreed by national governments.'

Read more at dailymail.co.uk

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