RAIL USERS PAY SIX TIMES AS MUCH AS OTHER EUROPEANS

RMT helpline 0800 376 3706 :: january 2017 :: RMTnews 10 Rail commuters returning to work this month faced fresh fare increases, while spending up to six times as much of their salaries on rail fares as other European passengers, new research by Action for Rail has revealed. Campaigners rammed the message home at over 100 stations around the country against fare rises and in support of public ownership. UK workers on average salaries will spend 14 per cent of their income on a monthly season ticket from Luton to London (£387), or 11 per cent from Liverpool to Manchester (£292). By contrast, similar commutes would cost passengers only two per cent of their incomes in France, three per cent in Germany and Italy, and four per cent in Spain. The analysis also shows that rail fares have increased by 56 per cent since 2006, more than double the change in average earnings – 24 per cent – and inflation – 26 per cent. Action for Rail, a campaign by rail unions and the TUC, point to Britain’s privatised rail service as a key driver of costs. All other countries examined have lower costs for commuters. TUC general secretary Frances O’Grady said that years of failed privatisation had created sky-high ticket prices, overcrowded trains, understaffed services and out- of-date infrastructure. “Private train companies are milking the system, and the government is letting them get away with it,” she said. RMT general secretary Mick Cash said that it should come as no surprise to passengers experiencing fare increases. “Train operating company profits are not earned in the market but politically fabricated out of regulatory obfuscation, political expediency and dodgy contracts which create profitable positions for private shareholders in a subsidised industry. “Companies like Southern Rail and their French owners are even siphoning off cash to subsidise rail services in Paris and beyond. "It's a national scandal and will only be stopped through public ownership of our railways," he said. RAIL USERS PAY SIX TIMES AS MUCH AS OTHER EUROPEANS Commuters to London pay £387 a month, compared with £61 in Paris or Rome and fares have shot up twice as much as wages Country Monthly season % of average ticket cost monthly earnings UK (Luton-London) £387 14% UK (Liverpool-Manchester) £292 11% Germany £85 3% France £61 2% Italy £61 3% Spain £75 4%