Train fare increase a "kick in the teeth" for passengers, says union chief

LONDON, Dec. 5 (Xinhua) -- Train fares in Britain are to rise by an average 3.4 percent from January, the biggest increase in five years, it was announced Tuesday.

The Rail Delivery Group (RDG) which announced the increase said the rise is below the 3.6 percent RPI as well as the current inflation level in Britain of 4 percent.

The increase was criticized by passenger groups as well as the train union representing rail workers which said fares remained the highest in Europe.

Paul Plummer, CEO of the RDG, which brings together train companies and Network Rail, said: "Alongside investment from the public and private sectors, money from fares is underpinning the partnership railway's long-term plan to change and improve. Working together, our plan will secure 85 billion pounds (114 billion U.S. dollars) of additional economic benefits while enabling further investment and improved journeys for customers, better connections to boost local communities and a bright future for our employees."

RDG said that in the next 18 months alone plans will see services in many parts of Britain transformed with more trains, better services and improved stations. This includes the London Crossrail project, Thameslink, Edinburgh-Glasgow, Great Western, Waterloo and the South West, and upgrades in the Midlands and the North regions of England.

Latest figures show more than 4.5 million rail journeys a day are made across Britain, adding up to 1.7 billion rail passengers over the year.

Fares at the start of this year increased by 2.3 percent while in 2011 they went up by 6.2 percent.

Mick Cash, general secretary of the RMT which represents train and station staff said: "These fare increases are another kick in the teeth for British passengers who will still be left paying the highest fares in Europe to travel on rammed out, unreliable trains where private profit comes before public safety." Enditem