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You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.theguardian.com/business/2017/aug/19/train-tickets-better-subsidies-more-affordable-brexit
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| Version 2 | Version 3 |
|---|---|
| Better subsidies would make rail fares more affordable … just in time for Brexit | Better subsidies would make rail fares more affordable … just in time for Brexit |
| (about 9 hours later) | |
| Gwyn Topham | |
| Sat 19 Aug 2017 16.00 BST | |
| Last modified on Sat 2 Dec 2017 02.50 GMT | |
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| A sliding pound has left euro rail fares looking less of a comparative bargain, but commuter season tickets and peak fares remain more expensive on Britain’s railways than continental Europe’s, according to most studies. | A sliding pound has left euro rail fares looking less of a comparative bargain, but commuter season tickets and peak fares remain more expensive on Britain’s railways than continental Europe’s, according to most studies. |
| The landmark inquiry into UK rail costs, Sir Roy McNulty’s 2011 report, identified costs running 30-40% higher in the UK than four European countries it used as benchmarks – France, Netherlands, Sweden and Switzerland – with both fares and taxpayer subsidy higher here to pay for it. | The landmark inquiry into UK rail costs, Sir Roy McNulty’s 2011 report, identified costs running 30-40% higher in the UK than four European countries it used as benchmarks – France, Netherlands, Sweden and Switzerland – with both fares and taxpayer subsidy higher here to pay for it. |
| Research from unions and campaigners has highlighted significant disparities in season ticket costs for commuters. The RMT found a month’s commute on sample routes into London typically cost double a similar journey into Brussels, and four times as much for journeys of equivalent lengths into Rome and Berlin. | Research from unions and campaigners has highlighted significant disparities in season ticket costs for commuters. The RMT found a month’s commute on sample routes into London typically cost double a similar journey into Brussels, and four times as much for journeys of equivalent lengths into Rome and Berlin. |
| A study by the TUC-led Action for Rail highlighted just how savage a bite this takes from commuters’ wages: a season ticket from Liverpool to Manchester or Luton to London eats up 11-14% of average monthly earnings, while German, French, Spanish or Italian equivalents would be in the 2-4% range. | A study by the TUC-led Action for Rail highlighted just how savage a bite this takes from commuters’ wages: a season ticket from Liverpool to Manchester or Luton to London eats up 11-14% of average monthly earnings, while German, French, Spanish or Italian equivalents would be in the 2-4% range. |
| But the industry argues this tells only part of the story. UK commuters on the routes analysed often have more and sometimes faster services. Advance fares mean there are many cheaper tickets available, according to the Rail Delivery Group (RDG), an industry body. | But the industry argues this tells only part of the story. UK commuters on the routes analysed often have more and sometimes faster services. Advance fares mean there are many cheaper tickets available, according to the Rail Delivery Group (RDG), an industry body. |
| Mark Smith, the former UK rail manager behind The Man In Seat 61, the authoritative European train travel website, found his sample of long-distance services showed the UK was often cheaper, if booked ahead. Even buying on the day of travel, once the strange British anomaly of return fares for the price of a single was factored in, the UK did well. Only walk-up fares during peak hours were consistently (and dramatically) higher in the UK. | Mark Smith, the former UK rail manager behind The Man In Seat 61, the authoritative European train travel website, found his sample of long-distance services showed the UK was often cheaper, if booked ahead. Even buying on the day of travel, once the strange British anomaly of return fares for the price of a single was factored in, the UK did well. Only walk-up fares during peak hours were consistently (and dramatically) higher in the UK. |
| Smith says British trains compare well with their continental counterparts for comfort and punctuality, adding: “Citizens perhaps unfairly compare the regular commuter trains they use every day in their own country with that one swish intercity train they took on their holiday abroad.” | Smith says British trains compare well with their continental counterparts for comfort and punctuality, adding: “Citizens perhaps unfairly compare the regular commuter trains they use every day in their own country with that one swish intercity train they took on their holiday abroad.” |
| Passenger numbers here have boomed, with a modal shift from car to train that Germany and France have not been able to match. Britain’s railways also have an unrivalled safety record across Europe, with more than a decade having passed since a passenger died in a train crash. | Passenger numbers here have boomed, with a modal shift from car to train that Germany and France have not been able to match. Britain’s railways also have an unrivalled safety record across Europe, with more than a decade having passed since a passenger died in a train crash. |
| The RDG says that higher public subsidy is one of the main reasons why European counterparts enjoy cheaper fares. Campaigners don’t disagree; they just want more of that here. | The RDG says that higher public subsidy is one of the main reasons why European counterparts enjoy cheaper fares. Campaigners don’t disagree; they just want more of that here. |
| Stephen Joseph, chief executive of the Campaign for Better Transport, says: “Other countries think that having a good public transport network isn’t just for the users; it has wider benefits. In France they have an employers’ payroll tax, and in Germany local sales and fuel taxes, so that the burden of paying for the benefit of public transport is shared.” | Stephen Joseph, chief executive of the Campaign for Better Transport, says: “Other countries think that having a good public transport network isn’t just for the users; it has wider benefits. In France they have an employers’ payroll tax, and in Germany local sales and fuel taxes, so that the burden of paying for the benefit of public transport is shared.” |
| He adds: “Post-Brexit, that’s an international competitiveness story, and another thing playing against the UK for companies looking to invest, as the costs of travelling to work are going to be significantly higher than in Paris or Frankfurt.” | He adds: “Post-Brexit, that’s an international competitiveness story, and another thing playing against the UK for companies looking to invest, as the costs of travelling to work are going to be significantly higher than in Paris or Frankfurt.” |
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