Fares fair? Rail industry opens public consultation on prices despite timetable turmoil across network

One option: raise peak prices and reduce off-peak tickets in a bid to reduce rush hour crowding

On the morning when train commuters in northwest England adapt to an emergency timetable, the rail industry is launching a public consultation on fares reform.

The last train to Windermere for at least two weeks left Oxenholme shortly after 9pm on Sunday. Northern, the train operator from Cheshire to Cumbria, has replaced the Lakes service with buses as it struggles to familiarise drivers with the new timetables and route changes.

In addition, Liverpool Lime Street station – the rail hub for Merseyside – is closed until the end of July for planned engineering work.

With hundreds of thousand of commuters in southeast England furious about widespread delays and cancellations on the Govia Thameslink Railway franchise, it is perhaps not the optimum time to ask passengers for their views on rail fares.

But the Rail Delivery Group (RDG) is going ahead anyway with a three-month public consultation. The aim: “To understand what the country wants to see from an up-to-date, easier fares and ticketing system.”

Last month, rail companies announced that they were seeking root-and-branch reform of fare regulations that date back to the time of privatisation in the mid-1990s. Many ticketing obligations were “baked in” to train operators’ franchise agreements.

The years since have seen increased complexity in the fares offered, as well as a failure to keep up with the spread of smartphones and the time-saving possibilities they offer.

In addition, ticketing rules have failed to keep pace with the move away from traditional full-time jobs; part-time working and self-employment have increased by over a third in 22 years.

The RDG is teaming up with the independent watchdog Transport Focus to develop rail ticketing that is “transparent, predictable, fair, trusted, easier to use and value-for-money”.

Views are invited via a website, britainrunsonrail.co.uk, which invites a range of responses about fares and ticketing options. All the choices are intended to be “revenue neutral”. In other words, if some fares fall others must rise, unless additional journeys can be stimulated.

One option put forward is to raise peak fares and reduce off-peak prices, in a bid to reduce rush hour crowding.

Paul Plummer, the organisation’s chief executive, said: “Reforming the rules about how tickets are sold and bought has the potential to transform the buying experience for customers, making it easier for people to be confident they are getting the right ticket.

“These reforms support what the industry is already doing to make improvements to fares alongside record investment in new train carriages, upgraded stations and extra services.”

Anthony Smith, chief executive of Transport Focus, said: “Rail passengers want a fares system that is simple to use, easy to understand and is flexible enough to cater to how people work and travel today.

“The rail industry has grasped the nettle and we will ensure the voice of the passenger is heard clearly as part of this consultation.”

The sustainability charity, the Campaign for Better Transport, welcomed the consultation. Steve Chambers, public transport campaigner, said: “We will press rail companies to promote it as widely as possible among their passengers, and government to implement its findings.”

“For too long, rail fares have been unfair, overly complex and completely out of step with modern lifestyles.

The consultation closes on 10 September, with a final report due in late autumn.