UK train fare goes up in 2009
Filed Under United Kingdom
Train passengers will have to begin the New Year with a little disappointment. Trains in UK are expected to increase their fare on the 2nd day of January in 2009. Regulated fares are expected to increase by 6% while the unregulated fares will bump up by 7%. This increase was determined by the inflation rate experienced by UK this year. The increase is also a way for the government to significantly cut the support for the rail system and save money.
There is a clamor against this fare increase. The increase of train fare was based on July’s RPI or Retail Price Index. During that time, the inflation rate was at 5% which justifies the increase of fare but that number has dropped to 4.2%.
But even with the increase, operators are assuring their passengers that the increase in fare will mean improvement of the rail system. The money will be reinvested so that improvements on the rail system will be faster.
There are even areas in UK where the increase was up to 8%. Southeastern trains will increase their fare higher than the usual national average. Operators in this area have a standing agreement with the government to add 3% to the RPI. Luckily, this is only an exception and the operator plans to aggressively improve its services.
The increase in fare based on RPI is part of the government planning to significantly cut support to the rail system. The government plans to achieve 40% reduction of support until 2014.
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