Rail fare increases and service delays are putting Government efforts to reduce carbon produced by transport and encourage more people to use the railways at risk, according to new research commissioned by rail infrastructure support services specialist, May Gurney.
The Retail Price Index (RPI) inflation figure that will be announced this Tuesday 17th August will be used to set the rise in train fares for next year.
May Gurney’s research reveals that most Britons would not be willing to pay more for rail travel.
The new rail price formula could see ticket increases of more than 8% in 2012 as train companies can boost travel prices by July RPI, plus 3%.
Despite record numbers of journeys made by rail, the study found that passengers are unlikely to tolerate further price increases.
Half (50%) of Britons said that the current cost of rail fares deters them from travelling by train, whilst 70% of Britons who travel by train said they already pay enough for their travel and would not be willing to pay more even for better trains and railway infrastructure.
Those that are willing to pay more for improved services (19%) said they are only prepared to accept ticket price raises of around 1.15%.
In light of recent news that rail fares are set to increase by up to 28%2 by 2015, the study found that just 1% of train users would be prepared to pay over 25% more for their travel.
Also, following a recent fall in the wholesale cost of oil and petrol prices predicted to drop at the pump, people will be more tempted to drive to avoid rail fares. This will also have an impact on the UK’s efforts to reduce carbon.
As well as fare hikes, concerns about train delays are hampering the UK’s ability to encourage more people to travel by train.
May Gurney’s study found that 13% are put off by service delays with a further 10% saying they avoid train travel because they are concerned about poor punctuality.
Rail infrastructure is also important, with 18% saying they avoid train travel because the stations are not located in areas that are convenient to them.
John Wilkinson, Managing Director May Gurney Rail Services stated:
“The potential impact of future fare increases could price many people out of travelling by rail. Many people will not make journeys; others may turn to buses or return to their cars, should such significant fare increases be levied.
“This will have a considerable impact on the UK’s efforts to reduce the carbon emissions of its transport network.
“If the Train Operating Companies are going to be responsible for rail infrastructure, as the McNulty Review recommends, then it is vital that rail customers are encouraged to travel more and certainly not deterred, as it’s their fares that are needed to fund improvements.”
The findings also reveal that there is a disproportionate reliance on rail travel in London, meaning those in the Capital will be suffering most from any fare increases.
In Britain, 1.8 million people (4%) say they use the train every working day and this proportion quadruples in London to 16%.
In London, more people say that they use the train at least once a week than any other region or city (44%), whereas the corresponding figure for Britain on the whole is 14% (6.5 million).
Commuters in the South East are the next highest train users, with 16% saying they use the train at least once a week, with Scotland (11%), the North West (11%), and Eastern regions (11%) being the next heaviest train users.
Travellers in the East Midlands were the least frequent train users with just 2% saying they use the train at least once a week.
A 28% increase is an absolute joke, even spread across 3 years, and will be greeted with fury by the travelling public. It will see people returning to their cars in droves… and I will be among them.