Train tickets to rise by up to 13%
Can you cut the cost of your train fare even while fares are going up? Donna Ferguson investigates.
Rail fares will rise by 8% next year, and some season tickets will be increased by as much as 13%, the Association of Train Operating Companies (ATOC) announced this week.
I thought the fact that inflation was more than double the Government’s target, at 5%, was bad news. But a huge rise above even that? How can the train companies justify this? And most importantly, how can they get away with it?
The Government changed the rules
In last year’s Spending Review, the Government announced it was changing the rules regarding rail fare increases.
Previously, fares were only allowed to increase by a maximum of one percentage point above inflation.
But last autumn, the Government decided the increase should be based on the Retail Prices Index (a measure of inflation) from July this year, plus three percentage points. As the index measured 5% in July, the average increase in fares will be 8%.
But sneakily, train companies are now also allowed to increase fares on certain routes by as much as eight percentage points above inflation - so an extra 13% - as long as the average increase across the operator does not exceed 8%.
The idea is that this increase above inflation will allow for investment in projects like CrossRail and 2,700 new rail carriages.
Is it justifiable?
ATOC claims that the rise will “help pay for more trains, better stations and faster services”. Some commentators agree, such as Sean O’Grady at The Independent. He argues the funds are needed to protect investment in the railways and that those who use the trains should pay for the service. He claims the “environmentally and socially desirable” solution for anyone who feels they can’t afford the increased fares is for them and their employers to move out of the “crowded South-east” or “work from home”.
Hmm... easier said than done, perhaps. And call me cynical, but I’m not entirely convinced by this investment argument. According to the Office of Rail Regulations, rail fares have risen by an average of 6% a year across Great Britain over the past two years. How many of us have experienced ‘better stations and faster services’ as a result of the rises we’ve already endured? Why should we believe 2012 will be any different?
Personally, I’m sick of it. Sick of the fact that my journey to visit my family in Manchester costs more than a plane fare to mainland Europe, sick of the fact that I can’t get a seat on my commute into London (despite paying thousands of pounds a year for a ticket), sick of the excuses and sick of the lies.
Where I can, of course, I try desperately to cut the cost of my train fares. Here are my top three tips - please add your own using the comments box below:
1) Visit cheap fares websites
If you know who you'll be travelling with it's often worth cutting out the middleman - instead, check directly on the train operator’s websites.
If you’re travelling on Virgin trains, try the Virgin trains best fare finder. You need to be flexible about the time of day you travel to get the best fares. But it’s a very easy way to see how much you can save. For example, right now, opting for a single from London to Manchester on 28th August will cost £35, but the website shows the same journey the next day could cost as little as £18. Unfortunately these are Advance Single tickets, so you have to be very careful to make it onto the right train on time for your ticket to be valid.
Meanwhile, Megatrain offers fares from just £1 each way (plus a booking fee) for the lucky ones that book early enough.
Until 30th September 2011, you can get 50% off off-peak tickets to any destination via the East Coast rail network, as long as your train departs from London King’s Cross at on off-peak time (ie weekends, late mornings and late evenings) or arrives in London after 11.17am. Check out the full terms and conditions here.
2) Use sneaky tricks
Sign up for an email alert from the trainline.com that will let you know as soon as advance tickets for your particular journey on that day become available to buy. Just don’t buy from the trainline.com - you’ll pay a £3.50 booking fee if you pay by credit card. Instead, mosey over to East Coast or RedSpottedHanky, neither of which charge a booking fee.
RedSpottedHanky is particularly handy if you collect Clubcard points from Tesco. You can redeem them there for treble the amount in train tickets - so a £5 voucher nets you £15 worth of train travel.
Last but not least, figure out if you qualify for a Railcard or a Gold Card. It’s not that sneaky - in fact you have to be pretty upfront about it to the conductor - but it does entitle you to some significant discounts.
3) Become a Hollywood A-lister
If you could, you wouldn’t need to worry about train fares! In fact, you’d be so far off caring, you’d just hire the entire train like Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie did this week - reputedly at a cost of £15,000.
OK, I admit it. This final tip isn't exactly realistic... Still, I hope it brought a smile to your face. We all need a smile on train ticket increase days!
Share your own tips
We all need to band together to fight back against the train fare hikes - share your tips on how to slash costs with other lovemoney.com readers using the comments box below!
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