MPs grill rail bosses over fare rises

Rail chiefs faced a barrage of criticism after appearing before MPs to be questioned about inflation-busting fare rises.

The grilling from the influential transport select committee follows anger at the increases introduced on 1 January.

Commuter fares rose by an average of six or eight per cent, adding hundreds of pounds to the annual season ticket. Off-peak tickets increased even more.

Directors of National Express, Virgin Trains, First Group, Southeastern trains and the Association of Train Operating Companies were among those questioned. Committee chairman Louise Ellman repeatedly asked them "to justify the increases".

Paul Bunting, UK director of National Express said there had been some "headline fares", but these were a "small proportion of the total". He added: "There is a wide range of fares."

Graham Leech, commercial director of Virgin Trains, said that many passengers were paying less now for their tickets than this time last year.

He said in view of a 30 per cent increase in service on the West Coast Mainline "the increases that we make can be justified".

Mrs Ellman interrupted to say there had been "massive" increases and there were "restrictions" on the use of cheap advance tickets.

Committee member Philip Hollobone said: "Second only to bankers in the City of London, you must be the most unpopular people in the country."

He said the bosses had been "fleecing" passengers. The fares rise "was in excess of inflation for poor service".

Transport minister Lord Adonis will give evidence to the committee's investigation into rail fares and franchises later this month.

The six claimed there were no cuts in service and that passenger satisfaction was rising. The claims came as South West Trains announced 180 more jobs cuts in addition to the 480 confirmed last week.

Bob Crow, leader of the RMT, said: "SWT's attacks on its staff and passengers are eating into the very fabric of the railway they are supposed to be running and they must be stopped." He said the cuts were "the accounting of the madhouse".

Gerry Doherty, general secretary of the TSSA transport union, said: "We will fight compulsory redundancies. The company is protecting its profit margins by cutting jobs and services."
National Express has already announced 750 job losses and Southeastern, 300.