West of England Mayor Dan Norris has said Bath commuters are to be hit again by “eye-watering” rail fare rises as season ticket prices see their biggest increase in a decade next year.
Photo © Colin Peachey / Shutterstock.com
Passengers were on average hit with a 2.6 per cent increase in the cost of train travel from 1st March, however new Retail Price Index (RPI) figures have shown the cost could rise by another 4.8 per cent next January.
In Bath, that will mean a Bath Spa to Bristol Temple Meads season ticket will have doubled since 2010.
A season ticket from Bath Spa to London Paddington could rise by £630 at the start of the year.
Metro Mayor Dan Norris said: “If we are going to meet our ambitious net-zero targets we need to be encouraging people onto trains not putting obstacles in the way.
“Passengers in Bath have been hit again and again by eye-watering rail fare rises. A season ticket between Bath Spa and Bristol Temple Meads has doubled in cost since the Tories came to power; this is a hike much greater than the average increase in people’s wages.
“For many people in Bath, travelling by train isn’t a luxury, it’s how they get to work. I want investment in a 21st century railway and more decisions made here rather than in London.
“My long term aim is to build “West of England Transport” an integrated, affordable transport system.”
