A rich man's toy
Transport Secretary Philip Hammond yesterday told MPs that the British railways are a “rich man’s toy”. I would support him in this statement if it was not his government that was putting train travel out of reach for ordinary people.
UK rail fares are the most expensive in the world already. New Labour has to take some responsibility for that. In light of this already bleak situation though, I find it incomprehensible how this government can justify increasing rail fares by 3% on top of inflation from January 2012.
To put this into context, this will add an additional £1,300 for some season tickets. By the end of this parliament, thanks to this government’s policy, rail fares will be 28% more expensive. People are not going to make the modal shift in transport use away from cars that we so desperately need unless there is a real incentive.
If you are as outraged as I am then support the Fair Fares Now campaign and sign this petition.
Hynd's Blog 