Harrogate and Knaresborough MP calls for rail fares to be frozen
It's as prices are set to rise by up to £94 next year
Harrogate and Knaresborough’s MP, Tom Gordon, has called for rail fares to be frozen next year as they could be set to rise by 4.6% in April following the latest inflation figures being released.
The rise in rail fares next year is usually based on RPI inflation figures from July released yesterday (14th August), plus 1%. It means that passengers could see a 4.6% increase in ticket prices next year. The cost of a season ticket could rise from £2024 to £2118. A £94 rise.
It follows ticket price rises of 3.8% in 2022, 5.9% in 2023, and 4.9% in 2024.
Lib Dem MP Tom Gordon said that people in Harrogate and Knaresborough should not be paying more for a service that is “simply not working” after years of Conservative party neglect and mismanagement.
It comes as figures revealed by the Liberal Democrats showed that since 2018/19, passengers have suffered close to 1 million minutes of delays due to signal failures.
Liberal Democrat MP for Harrogate and Knaresborough, Tom Gordon, said:
“A £94 season ticket increase is unacceptable. We need a railway system that works properly and that people do not have to pay obscene amounts for.
“Many years of Conservative neglect has forced those who travel by rail to suffer endless delays and unpleasant travelling experiences whilst trying to go about their daily lives, and paying large amounts for the pleasure.
“On the Harrogate line, delays are often an issue, particularly on the Northern service that runs between Leeds and York, two places I know many of my constituents commute to.
“To ask passengers to pay yet more money is a slap in the face. We need a railway system that works properly, not yet more price increases. If fares should go in any direction, it should be down.
“At the very least, this is why there must be a fare freeze to stop passengers paying more for an unsatisfactory service.”