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27/07/2009
MPs Criticise Rail Francise System
The current rail franchise system is "a muddle" which allows train companies to take advantage of it in order to raise fares, a report by a committee of MPs has claimed.
The report by the Commons transport committee slammed fare rises of up to 11% above inflation as "unacceptable", saying that the system allows rail operators to introduce price rises at the worst moment.
The report also found that passengers had to go to "extraordinary lengths" in order to get the best-value fares.
The "high profile failures" of operators GNER and National express were also cited by the report as evidence of the underlying problems in the system.
Bob Crow, General Secretary of the RMT Union, said that the report had exposed the "chaos of the franchise system". He said that the system was "beyond reform" and that a return to public ownership of railways was the "only real solution".
However, Michael Roberts, Chief Executive of the Association of Train Operating Companies (ATOC), said: "It is wrong to describe as a 'mess' a franchising system that successfully runs over 20,000 services a day at record levels of performance and passenger satisfaction."
(KMcA/BMcC)
The report by the Commons transport committee slammed fare rises of up to 11% above inflation as "unacceptable", saying that the system allows rail operators to introduce price rises at the worst moment.
The report also found that passengers had to go to "extraordinary lengths" in order to get the best-value fares.
The "high profile failures" of operators GNER and National express were also cited by the report as evidence of the underlying problems in the system.
Bob Crow, General Secretary of the RMT Union, said that the report had exposed the "chaos of the franchise system". He said that the system was "beyond reform" and that a return to public ownership of railways was the "only real solution".
However, Michael Roberts, Chief Executive of the Association of Train Operating Companies (ATOC), said: "It is wrong to describe as a 'mess' a franchising system that successfully runs over 20,000 services a day at record levels of performance and passenger satisfaction."
(KMcA/BMcC)
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