Rail fares eat up 14% of commuters' wages, study finds

Train passengers in Britain are spending six times more on rail fares than their counterparts in the rest of Europe, a study has found.

After higher prices kicked in this week, workers would spend 14% of their income on a monthly season ticket in some parts of the country, the Action for Rail campaign said.

Commuters into London pay an average of £387 a month, the study found - compared to £61 in Paris or Rome.

Rail fares have increased twice as much as wages and inflation over the past decade, sparking calls for a return of the railways to public ownership.

The latest average increase, of 2.3%, is the highest in three years. And the figure varies between operators, with fares on Virgin Trains East Coast services up by 4.9%.

The trade union-backed Campaigners Action For Rail have organised demonstrations at more than 100 train stations throughout Tuesday, including in London, Birmingham, Manchester and Glasgow.

Mick Whelan, of the drivers' union ASLEF, was one of several union leaders and transport campaigners to express outrage.

"It is scandalous that the Government is allowing privatised train companies to make even more money for providing an ever-poorer service," he said.

"We have the most expensive railway in Europe and the train companies, aided and abetted by this Government, are about to make it even more costly for people to travel."

Last year has been miserable at times for commuters, especially on Southern Rail, which has been plagued by strikes and other issues.

Separately, a study by the Campaign for Better Transport (CBT) found that season ticket holders travelling from Stevenage to London pay 27p a minute, the steepest fare, while Bath Spa to Bristol tickets cost 25p a minute.

The group's Lianna Etkind said commuters were being charged "at a similar level to a premium rate phone number for their season tickets".

But the Rail Delivery Group, which represents train operators, said about 97p in every pound paid by passengers goes back into running and improving services.

A spokesman said: "CBT appears to be suggesting that because a journey is fast it is worse value for money - a logic not many passengers would agree with."

Transport Secretary Chris Grayling says the hikes help fund the railways' biggest modernisation in over a century.