DON'T increase rail fares if you want a green future

Hello

We wrote to you a few weeks ago asking how you will be affected if rail fares get more expensive. Some in Government think that increasing fares by almost five per cent in January is the way to bring more money into the railways, but we know that a fare rise would discourage many people from travelling by rail. So we asked: where would you like to travel by rail in 2022 unless fares get too expensive? 

Amazingly, more than 500 people told us. Many people, like Alan, would like to travel by rail for leisure, boosting the economy in tourist destinations without clogging up roads:

Others, like Claire, are longing to visit family after a long wait: 

Many people, like Katherine, just want to be able to get to work: 

Today, together with some rail passengers, we delivered a giant postcard to the Chancellor at 11 Downing Street, with many of these comments on it. We wanted to make the point that transport is at a crossroads: if we want a green future, it's vital that the Government freezes rail fares for 2022 to encourage people back onto the railways. 

Beyond this, we want to see major reform of rail fares to make them fit for the future and make rail travel more attractive. For instance, we'd like to see pay-as-you-go ticketing (like London's Oyster scheme) in more places, with price capping so no one pays too much. And we want a much better flexible season ticket for people who commute part time.   

Read more about what we're calling for in our press release

If you agree that the Government should do more to protect and improve public transport - and encourage people back on board - please take a minute to add your name to our campaign, The way forward is public transport. If you're on Twitter you might like to retweet our tweets today about rail fares, and be sure to tag the Chancellor @RishiSunak.

With all best wishes 

Paul 
Paul Tuohy, Chief Executive, Campaign for Better Transport