OXFORDSHIRE rail passengers are getting a raw deal, the shadow transport secretary has said.

Maria Eagle spoke yesterday at the campaign launch for the regional Labour Party ahead of the local elections.

She accused the Government of misleading commuters and letting rail companies get away with inflation-busting ticket prices.

In January, Chiltern Railways scaled back a 9.2 per cent hike in season tickets following public outcry. It cut the increase to six per cent from Banbury and eight per cent from Bicester.

First Great Western increased its fares by 4.2 per cent for Paddington trains from Oxford and Didcot, increasing an annual ticket from £4,348 to £4,532.

Ms Eagle, pictured with Oxford East MP Andrew Smith, said: “David Cameron broke his promise to cap rail fares in Oxfordshire because he won’t take on vested interests.

“Instead, he has let train companies hike the cost of commuting by as much as six per cent, adding to the squeeze on household budgets caused but the Government’s failed economic policies.

“Labour would put passengers first by banning train companies from increasing fares above a strict cap. In each year of this parliament that would have ensured that no regulated fare could have been increased by more than one per cent above inflation. “The people of Banbury should be applauded for standing up to the Government.”

A Conservative spokesman said: “The reality is that European Commission figures show that between 2001 and 2011, almost entirely on their watch, fares rose at twice the rate of Germany and significantly faster than France.”

 

Picture: OX58447 Ric Mellis