SouthEastern Commuter?

Is this you? No seat, overpriced ticket, Tory promises broken?

Despite the interest of local Conservative MPs it is now all but confirmed that train fares are due for significant increase next Wednesday with the government predicted to retain the +3% Inflation increase in fares.

This is of course despite the express promises of Tracey Crouch, Rehman Chisthi and Mark Reckless who promised Medway commuters that the government would stop unfair fare increases. Their reputations are directly at risk with a commuter population in Medway which put their trust in these representatives to act in the interests of them. A failure to follow-through on promises, be it VAT increases, NHS re-organisations or cuts to Child Benefit is now becoming a common theme with our MPs. Some of whom started with good intentions are not standing up locally in the interests of commuters.

About 600 million annual train journeys have fares that are regulated by a formula set by the Government in relation to the near £2 billion subsidy it gives to the train operators. The end result could be train fares rising by near double digit percentages in each year of the Spending Review.

Overall, Government sources are expecting these train fares to be over 30 per cent higher by 2015, and industry sources pointed towards a 40 per cent hike by 2015.

The increase in regulated fares is currently set at the Retail Price Index plus 3 per cent in Medway, sources from inside government indiciate that this is set to either remain at this level or rise substantially. Either way, if this is the result, Medway Conservative MPs have not followed through on promises to commuters.

As the RPI number used in this equation is currently set at 4.8 per cent, multi-year double digit rises are possible.

This would mean for annual season ticket for commuters, that prices could rise by well over a thousand pounds.

The reason for this increase is clear. Despite the false pleasantaries and shadow campaigns managed by Conservatives this is a government that believes in the market, and as we have seen with university fees debate, it believes that the user should pay. This is about shifting the burden of payment from taxpayers towards passengers.

All fair perhaps, until you realise that the majority of commuters travelling into London do not earn mega-salaries and expect a government to be on their side during such difficult times. With cuts to family budgets, how is a father of two children who commutes into London supposed to feel as Tories increase is train fares. Especially, after they were the one's taking advantage of the issue in the pre-election period.

Secondly it is important to note that this rise in fares will not go to train companies. Government says it is keen to do this so that there is funding for investment in train infrastructure, but surely these extra fees will simply go into the general deficit reduction pot? This is therefore nothing more then a tax increase which does not even benefit the commuter. We in fact end up with even worse conditions.

If we do end up, on some lines, with RPI plus 5 per cent, where on earth will that leave Norman Baker, the Lib Dem transport minister, who was elected on a manifesto of RPI minus 1 per cent? Where does it leave Mark Reckless who campaigned for RPI (plus 1 per cent) and Rehman Chisthi and Tracey Crouch?

And if it is the Coalition’s strategy for a so-called modal shift from private to public transport, then these sorts of fare rises will do the opposite, unless they are planning massive road taxes too.

This blog also notes that Network Rail is sitting on some rather valuable real estate, that could prove a handy piece of family silver for George Osborne.

Either way, it is looking like Wednesday could be a shocking day for commuters and by sunset we will know if we have been betrayed by Conservative MPs or saved by them. The stakes could not be higher to all their reputations.