UK commuters pay up to 6 times more on rail fares than other Europeans

The commute into work was made even more bitter for UK employees this morning, as many faced an average increase of 2.3% on their rail fares to start off 2017. To add insult to injury, the Action for Rail campaign has revealed that Brits pay up to six times more on tickets than their European counterparts.

The research also confirmed that UK rail fares have increased more than twice as much as average wages over the last 10 years. Action for Rail, which is calling for a reform of the country’s transport system, says our counterparts in Europe have access to lower travel costs because their rail system is largely publicly owned.

According to the study, workers on average salaries travelling from Luton to London spend 14% of their income on a monthly season ticket, while those going from Liverpool to Manchester shell out 11% of their pay on fares. Similar commutes in France only cost 2% of average salaries, 3% in Germany and Italy, and 4% in Spain.

And commuters are starting to hit back at rail companies; campaigners will be staging action at stations in England and Scotland this week to protest the rise in fares, as well as cut-backs made by rail owners that have led to chaos, delays and cancellations on lines across the nation. Train operators argue that the price hikes are needed to continue to improve services.

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