Price hike woe for Worksop rail users

Train users in Worksop have branded the latest fare increases as ‘ridiculous’.

Northern Rail fares have gone up by an average of 6.7 per cent - higher than the national average of 5.9 per cent, while East Midlands trains passengers will see an average 5.7 per cent rise.

A single trip from Worksop to Sheffield will now cost £5.30, up from £5 - a six per cent rise. A return that previously cost £5.60 will now be £5.90 - a 5.4 per cent rise.

Beryl Ransford regularly travels to Sheffield on the train to visit her son.

She said: “It’s a shame that they have gone up again, but what can you do about it? We don’t have another way of getting to Sheffield so we are just stuck with it.”

Mark Tooky, who uses the train to travel to London to visit family, said the increases were ‘ridiculous’.

“I was surprised today by how much the ticket to Sheffield cost. I’m worried about how much my onward ticket down to London is going to be.”

Mum Lisa Dobson works in the cafe at the train station and regularly travels to York.

“If we were getting new trains, then fair enough. But we’re not. We are paying for improvements in the cities and we wont see any of it,” she said.

A Northern spokesman said the rise is the equivalent of around 20 to 30 pence per single journey.

She continued: “Money raised through fares helps to pay for more trains and improvements to stations. This includes projects such as the introduction of 60 additional carriages to help alleviate overcrowding on peak services from the December timetable change.”

“Despite these changes the cost of our average journey will remain just £2.35. However, we know that these are difficult financial times, which is why we will continue to work with the Government and the wider rail industry to drive down the cost of running the railway to provide better long-term value for money for passengers and taxpayers.”

David Horne, managing director of East Midlands Trains, said the company is investing over £40 million to make improvements including refurbished trains and better station facilities.

He added: “Fares also reflect the Government’s long-standing approach to sustaining investment in the railways by reducing the contribution from taxpayers and increasing the share paid for by passengers.”

“In the longer-term, the rail industry is working together to continue cutting costs as a way of helping to limit future fare rises and offer better value for money for taxpayers”.