Use rising rail profits to invest in railways call

Campaigners are calling for a massive projected windfall in train company payments to the Government to be invested in rail improvements as new TUC figures show the number of people in Yorkshire commuting for more than three hours a day has doubled over the last decade.
The Campaign for Better Transport wants rising profits to be invested in better servicesThe Campaign for Better Transport wants rising profits to be invested in better services
The Campaign for Better Transport wants rising profits to be invested in better services

The amount the Government received in franchise payments from rail firms is on track to rise from £1.1 billion to £3.7 billion over the next five years, according to the Campaign for Better Transport.

It argues that this income could help cut by a quarter the amount taxpayers have to put into the railways in subsidies with enough left over to fund a string of intiatives to improve the lot of passengers.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Measures suggested include introducing three-day-a-week season tickets and making all travel for under-elevens on the railway free.

Campaign for Better Transport said the rise in income for the Government from rail franchises coincided with a fall in passenger satisfaction.

Chief executive Stephen Joseph said: “This new research shows that even under conservative estimates there should be plenty of money coming in from the rail franchises for the Government to fund the commitments it made two years ago to develop fairer fares.

“With many commuters already having to fork out thousands of pounds a year on rail season tickets to get to work, it is no wonder that they are fed up with the value that they are getting.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“It is time that the Government committed to using their rail income to make good their promises for fairer fares, including a nationwide scheme of flexible ticketing for part time workers, or avoiding further cuts in transport spending, rather than sending it into the Treasury.”

The Government has promised a major improvement in regional rail services when it announces the new holders of the northern and transpennine franchises later this year.

The call for fresh investment in the railways coincides witht eh publication of figures by the TUC pointing to a major increase in the number of Yorkshire workers spending long periods of time travelling to and from work.

According to the TUC, the number of people spending three hours or more a day commuting in Yorkshire has almost doubled in the last decade to more than 53,000.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Around 183,000 people travel for two hours a day, a 61 per cent increase on ten years ago.

TUC Regional Secretary Bill Adams said: “It’s bad enough most of us spend an hour a day getting to and from work – but spare a thought for those extreme commuters who travel for more than 10, or even 15, hours a week.

Employers need to address the problem that many of their staff are spending an ever-increasing number of hours getting to and from work.

“More home and flexi-working could easily be introduced to allow people to cut their commutes and save money. This would not only be popular with workers, but fewer, better-spaced journeys would help to beat overcrowding on the roads and railways.”

According to the TUC figures, the average daily commute for all workers is 56 minutes.