Transport Committee Chair reaction to Rail Delivery Group proposals on fares reform

Monday, 18 February 2019 00:01

Responding to new proposals from the Rail Delivery Group on reform of fares system, the Chair of the Transport Committee, Lilian Greenwood MP, said: “It’s no surprise to us that passengers want real reform of rail fares. In a 2016 Report, the Transport Committee labelled parts of the rail ticketing system ‘overly complex, opaque and unfair’ and nothing has changed. The call for fairer fares has only become louder and more insistent after a year in which many...Request free trial

Responding to new proposals from the Rail Delivery Group on reform of fares system, the Chair of the Transport Committee, Lilian Greenwood MP, said:

“It’s no surprise to us that passengers want real reform of rail fares. In a 2016 Report, the Transport Committee labelled parts of the rail ticketing system ‘overly complex, opaque and unfair’ and nothing has changed. The call for fairer fares has only become louder and more insistent after a year in which many passengers experienced appalling levels of disruption and promised improvements to services have been delayed or cancelled.

“The Rail Delivery Group’s proposition to the Williams Review that passengers only pay for what they need, are always charged the best value fare, can use smart tickets and season tickets that suit today’s working patterns all make complete sense to us, and are welcome recognition that things need to change.

“But the devil will be in the detail and my Committee, along with many of the other rail-watchers, will be keeping a close eye on this work to ensure it develops in ways that are fair, transparent, recognises the needs of passengers and takes account of the vital contribution that the railway makes to our society and economy.

“In the meantime, passengers still require reassuring that enough trains will turn up - on time and fit to run – particularly after the timetabling chaos in May 2018. Even today, as we publish the Government Response to our findings of that disaster, we ask why we must wait for the Williams Review to make things happen?”

Further information:

In response to the Transport Committee report on Rail Timetabling Changes, the Committee will publish responses from the Government and the Office of Road and Rail on Monday 18 February.

Committee membership: Lilian Greenwood MP, Chair (Lab, Nottingham South); Jack Brereton MP (Con, Stoke-on-Trent South); Ruth Cadbury MP (Lab, Brentford and Isleworth); Robert Courts MP (Con, Witney); Ronnie Cowan MP (SNP, Inverclyde); Steve Double MP (Con, St Austell and Newquay); Paul Girvan MP (DUP, South Antrim); Huw Merriman MP (Con, Bexhill and Battle); Grahame Morris (Lab, Easington); Graham Stringer MP (Lab, Blackley and Broughton); Daniel Zeichner MP (Lab, Cambridge).