The news that President Obama had avoided the 'fiscal cliff'' (no, me neither) cemented the fact that we were guaranteed some gloomy financial news in Britain. Arriving right when expected, unlike many things in life, the annual blackmail of commuters was yet again hiked today. Rail fares across the country were raised by an average of 3.9%. I know that this may seem to be a relatively low number, and that for people who drive to work getting fuel at the best price constant gamble between convenience and the little red warning light inducing panic.
In reality though, fuel prices haven't actually risen much in the past 18 months. They've fluctuated heavily but if you were to take an average across the last year and half since I brought my old car, the biggest price change has been caused by driving between counties and vendors. Rail fares on the other hand have risen consistently year on year causing a real term rise of 50% over a ten year period. I don't know about anyone else, but I can't think of many examples of jobs where people's average salary has done the same.
It's not like cost of just existing has become any easier. And Gideon seems determined to make it still worse.
I know that I am extremely lucky to be in a job where my day to day travel comes under expenses (saving me about £100 a month) but I still feel justified in my animosity towards the rail companies given that I've been using trains on a regular basis for the past seven years. I've not noticed any real improvement in service, yes there have been some fancy new trains in the past 10 years but this doesn't make the quality of the service any better.
I am also conscious that rail companies have been spending money on stations attempting to catch more fare dodgers and thereby keep the costs down for those of us who actually pay for our train travel. However, the railway organisation is a mess, it is perfectly possible for track, station and train all to be owned and therefore maintained by three separate companies, dependent upon where you are travelling.
I'm not old enough to remember British Rail, but I do recall the complete cock-up of Railtrack and the subsequent cost to the taxpayer. Yes, things are probably better now than they were, and maybe they'll get better. It's not like we're exactly being filled with confidence though, the recent case of the West Coast Omnishambles is sign enough that this government is just as incompetent as the last (and probably the next) when it comes to dealing with big businesses where the PM isn't personal friends with the Dark Overlord.
The national railway system is still subsidised by the Government, yet the rail companies continue to make a healthy profit. I'm not a trained economist, and I'm not claiming that I could do anything better. But I still can't help but feel like there has to be a better way to deal with the situation. Happy 2013 everyone, at least the rail fares won't rise for another year so that's something to celebrate!
Yay!
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