Protesters are taking to the streets of London over rail fare hikes
Protesters are gathering at King's Cross in London and other railway stations across the country to show their anger about rising rail fares in the UK.
Read more: Rail fares have increased twice as fast as wages in the past 10 years
The protests – planned for over 100 stations – have been organised by action groups Action Rail, We Own It and Bring Back British Rail. The demonstration at King's Cross started at 8am.
UK passengers pay six times more than their European counterparts #RailRipOff https://t.co/oAkU30HGeN pic.twitter.com/OeH2R2Q70Y
— Action For Rail (@ActionForRail) January 3, 2017
The demonstrations came after Action for Rail released figures showing that British commuters are spending up to six times as much on rail tickets as travellers in Europe. Commuters travelling from London to Luton – a 35 mile trip – have to shell out 14 per cent of their income on a monthly season ticket. In France, commuters travelling the same distance spend two per cent of their income on the journey.
The government announced yesterday the average price of a UK train ticket has risen 2.3 per cent. Some unregulated off-peak fares from train companies will rise seven per cent.
Announcing the protests, Action for Rail said:
It's the Christmas present no one asked for – rather than giving us the gift of proper investment in rail infrastructure and full public ownership, yet again passengers are paying more but getting less.