Protests will be held in Birmingham against rail fare rises as studies shows UK passengers spend up to five times more on season tickets as other European travellers. The TUC said the 3.1% rise in season tickets was higher than the expected growth in wages this year of 2.5%
TUC general secretary Frances O’Grady said: “The most reliable thing about our railways is the cash that goes to private shareholders each year, but with the most expensive fares in Europe, that can’t be right. It’s rewarding failure and taking money away that should be invested in better services.
“It’s time to take the railways back into public hands. Every penny from every fare should go back into the railways. The number one priority should be running a world-class railway service, not private profit.”
Mick Cash, leader of the Rail, Maritime and Transport union said: “The British fare-payer has been battered by the toxic combination of gross mismanagement and profiteering by the private companies exploiting Britain’s rip-off railways.
“Our passengers have been left paying the highest fares in Europe to travel on rammed-out and unreliable services and that is a national disgrace. The only solution is to sweep this whole racket away and return our railways to public ownership.
Aslef general secretary Mick Whelan said: “The train companies are telling passengers to pay more for a poorer service and that’s not a great offer, is it? Not for passengers, or for voters at the next election.
“Commuters complain about persistent delays and cancellations, and the consumer group Which? says the privatised train operators are one of this country’s least trusted groups – beaten to bottom place only by second-hand car dealers.
“Wages aren’t keeping pace with inflation and yet the train companies, and their chum the Transport Secretary Chris Grayling, are pushing up prices yet again. What a way to run the railway.”
Transport Salaried Staffs Association general secretary Manuel Cortes said: “Millions of commuters will be staggered and furious that fares are rising yet again while privateers stuff shareholders’ pockets with cash.
“This situation is untenable, and the fact is only bringing the railways back into public hands will end the misery for so many each day.”
Unite national officer Harish Patel said: “Given last year’s rail timetable chaos, presided over by the hapless Transport Secretary Chris Grayling, there should be no rail fare increases for hard-pressed travellers in 2019 – fares should have been frozen. The 3.1% rise is an insult.
“As usual, the real ‘winners’ are the greedy shareholders of the privatised rail companies that have gobbled up more than £1 billion in ill-gotten dividends in the last six years – money that could have gone towards freezing fares and boosting rail investment.
“Every day the case for the public ownership of the rail industry grows stronger, especially after the woeful performance of 2018.”
Rail union leaders, politicians and campaigners will protest outside stations across the country including in Birmingham, as well as London King’s Cross, Cardiff, Liverpool, Manchester, Bristol and Leeds.
