Call for creative ways to entice people to use trains more.

11.43.00am GMT Sat 8th Dec 2007

Local trains to cost more

Local Liberal Democrats have condemned above-inflation fare rises for rail passengers which take effect from January, and called on lovcal rail companies to come up with more creative ways to entice people to use trains more.

"You know Christmas is coming because of the annual announcement that rail fares go up ahead of inflation," said Gareth Davies, press spokesman for the Buckingham constituency Lib Dems. "These increases will drive people away from trains and into cars at a time when we should be doing exactly the opposite as concerns over global warming grow."

The two railway lines running through Aylesbury Vale, Chiltern Railways and London Midland, are both raising fares by about 4.8%. Some of Chiltern's price hikes will be even higher, at 5.1%

"Every year fares go up ahead of inflation, and every year the train operating companies claim it is to finance extra investment," said Mr Davies. "This is nonsense. Does Coca-Cola increase prices when it builds a new bottling plant? Companies do this because they are monopolies, and they know passengers have no alternative. What the train companies should be doing is coming up with ways to entice passengers to use off-peak services, when there are lots of empty seats."

Mr Davies cited the example of services from Cheddington (the only station in Aylesbury Vale on the London Midland line) to Milton Keynes. He said it would soon cost around £6 return to Milton Keynes, and about the same to Hemel Hempstead and Watford, the nearest large shopping centres.

"At those prices, particularly when there are two or three people travelling together, passengers are going to opt for the car every time, if they have one.

There are lots of empty seats on these trains. It's crazy to drive up the price of them and make it even less likely that they will be filled.

"What we need is a more creative fare structure, such as cut-price shoppers' or sports fans' tickets. There could be a joint ticket for a group of people, for example, to make services to Milton Keynes more attractive outside the rush-hour , when trains which started in London are pretty well empty of passengers.

"There are all sorts of ways of attracting passengers, for instance letting people print out tickets at home after they have purchased them online, at a discount. There are thousands of empty seats on those trains every day. Companies should spend 2008 finding creative ways of selling them, before the inevitable over inflation price hikes next winter."

"There are all sorts of ways of attracting passengers, for instance letting people print out tickets at home after they have purchased them online, at a discount. There are thousands of empty seats on those trains every day. Companies should spend 2008 finding creative ways of selling them, before the inevitable over inflation price hikes next winter."