Subject: Rail fare increases of 30 to 40 per cent
From: Snowmail – Channel 4 News <snowmail_daily@channel4.com>
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Date: Sat 16/10/10 4:24 PM
Krishnan here. We’re on air at 6pm.
We’re leading with painful news for rail travellers.
Faisal Islam has learned from Whitehall insiders and rail industry sources that the government’s cuts this week are going to mean regulated rail fares (the ones set by the government) will rise by 30-40 per cent over the next four years.
Some routes could see fares go up by more than 10 per cent every year, as the Department of Transport slashes the amount rail travel is subsidised.
Transport is one area neither ringfenced like the NHS nor sheltered such as the Army, so passengers will pay. There are around two million regulated rail fare journeys a day – many by commuters in what seems to now be called the “squeezed middle”.
Are the pips squeaking yet? There’s much more to come, as departments try to get their bad news out of the way early.
Read more on Faisal Islam’s blog: http://bit.ly/cKDTVr