You may be aware that train ticket prices are set to rise again in the New Year. South West Trains released upcoming fare information on Friday as if this was an upbeat news story….something for passengers to get excited about….like opening your advent calendar or sneaking a peak in your Secret Santa!
https://stagecoachgroup-newsroom.prgloo.com/news/january-2017-rail-fares-now-available-1
Some readers may recall we held protests at Weymouth and Dorchester stations in August on the day regulated fare increases were originally announced by the government (August 16th). This action day happened to coincide with Weymouth Carnival and passengers experienced first-hand the inadequate train service between Bristol and Weymouth in particular, over-crowding on the 3 coach train that passengers described as extremely uncomfortable and downright dangerous.
People were rightly angry having paid their train fare (to Great Western Railways) only to be crammed in like cattle with no consideration offered by the operator for the needs of the elderly, disabled or passengers traveling with young children. These are the symptoms of a train service that cares more about profit than people. That day passengers were further aggravated to learn the news that the price for such poor service would increase again in the New Year.
The Action for Rail campaign which the local Green Party coordinates here in West and South Dorset is a national campaign. We agree wholeheartedly with the view published on their website that the New Year fare increases are the:
“Christmas present no one asked for – rather than giving us the gift of proper investment in rail infrastructure and full public ownership, yet again passengers are paying more but getting less.
While fares keep rising, cuts to services and staffing are taking place across the network – with more ticket offices closing, removal of guards from trains, extension of driver only operations and fewer staff at stations to provide help when we need it.”
As a stand-alone increase the 1.9% may on the surface appear” palatable”, but of course it is the continuous hike that has the cumulative effect. Private train companies are paying out larger dividends to shareholders (a 21% increase in 2014-15 compared to the previous year) and the public are subsidizing these profits, gaining little in return.
As part of the national Action for Rail effort, the local Green Party will continue to protest over fare increases and campaign for a publicly run, publicly owned modern railway service that puts people and their transport needs before profit.
We will be at Weymouth and Dorchester stations on Tuesday 3rd January 2017, from 7am to wish passengers a Happy New Year and urge them to voice their disgust at the fare increases and call for the long-overdue re-nationalization.
If anyone would like to support this action, please get in touch: www.facebook.com/westandsouthdorsetgreenparty/
Caz Dennett
Campaign Coordinator
West & South Dorset Green Party
