Rail fares have risen (1.1%)
today; something that will directly impact on regular and occasional rail
travellers, at a time when they can least afford it.
At present rail fare increases are determined with a calculation based on
RPI (retail price index) – a system that has attracted repeated criticism from
respected economists and rail travellers alike.
Passengers and commuters should
not be hit in the pocket because the Government is intent on clinging onto a
broken and outdated system.
For
2016 the rail fare rise was relatively small as a result of low inflation but
at some stage inflation will return to normal, and the RPI based rail fare
calculator will hit rail passengers hard as they are exposed to the substantial
annual increases.
A much fairer way of
calculating fares would be to use the CPI (consumer prices index) that is
consistently lower than RPI. The UK Westminster Government already uses
CPI to calculate its liabilities such as social security.
Plaid
Cymru believes in the public ownership of railways, and the full transfer of
powers over railways, including the transfer of full funding for railway
infrastructure, to Wales. A Plaid Government would work to devolve Network Rail
and set up a not-for-dividend company in which profits are reinvested into
better services rather than used to pay dividends.
Our priority in Wales must be to
deliver higher standards and lower journey times for passengers and commuters
in all corners of Wales and invest profits to improve services.
No comments:
Post a Comment