Archived press release

Rail fare rises highlight Labours failings on transport and climate

28 November 2007

Today's announcement of a significant rise in rail fares is the latest sign that Government transport policy is failing, Friends of the Earth said today.

Rail fares including season tickets will rise by an average of 4.8% in January, while others such as cheap day returns will go up by 5.4%, the Association of Train Operating Companies announced today.

Friends of the Earth's Transport campaigner, Tony Bosworth, said:

"The rise in rail fares is the latest sign of the Government's disastrous transport policy. We should be trying to get people out of their cars and onto public transport, not pricing them off trains. The response to growing rail passenger numbers is to raise prices, whereas the Government's response to growing air passenger numbers is to support big increases in airport capacity.

Since Labour came to power the cost of motoring has fallen by 10 per cent in real terms, while bus and train travel have become more expensive. It's little wonder that UK carbon dioxide emissions have risen. Last week Gordon Brown pledged to make Britain a world leader in tackling climate change. If he really wants to achieve this our transport policy must head in a new direction and prioritise spending on sustainable alternatives to cars and planes".

The cost of motoring has fallen in real terms by 10 per cent under Labour, while the cost of public transport has risen: bus fares by 13 per cent and rail fares by six per cent [1]. It's little wonder that, despite promising to cut the numbers of cars on our roads, traffic levels have risen. Since 1997 traffic levels have gone up by more than 12.4%. However, train use (and bus use in London) have also risen [2].

Parliamentary Question 17/7/07

Traffic levels see Traffic in Great Britain: Quarter 3 2007 www.dft.gov.uk/pgr/statistics/datatablespublications/ ¬
roadstraffic/traffic/qbtrafficgb/2007/trafficingbq32007 ; Rail use - see Transport Statistics Great Britain 2007 edition table 6.4; Bus use see Transport Statistics Great Britain 2007 edition table 6.13 www.dft.gov.uk/pgr/statistics/datatablespublications/tsgb/2007edition/

For further information please contact the Friends of the Earth media team on 020 7566 1649.

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Archived press release

Rail fare rises highlight Labours failings on transport and climate

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