Workers priced off trains by huge fare rises

Some of the new "record breaking" rail commuters spending more than £8,000 a year to work in London today said they could be forced to seek new jobs outside the capital.

Workers travelling from cities such as Swindon are now paying £8,048 a year after fare rises of almost six per cent. They are among the commuters facing big fare increases on their first day back at work today, with those using the Tube also forced to pay hundreds of pounds extra a year.

On the 6.58am from Swindon, which also serves Reading, many said they were considering either moving to the capital or finding work nearer home.
Paul Corry, 39, a financial sales worker, travels from Swindon to work in London every day.

He condemned the six per cent fare rise as "ridiculous" and warned that it would put people off commuting to London because it was no longer economical. "It's just not justified," he said. "The service is really poor and the trains are invariably late. We should be encouraging people not to drive, but it's becoming more and more impossible to get anywhere in this country without paying lots for it."

Trainee solicitor Louisa Bradley, 24, lives in Reading to save on rent but said that with the new fare rises it was no longer worth it: "I pay £433 a month for a travel card with Tube. It would be fine if we were getting a better service, but it's not. I might have to move to London because it's just not worth living in Reading any more."

Meanwhile, others said they were cutting back on the number of days they worked in the office.

Andy Winders, 37, a financial consultant, travels into the capital from Reading two to three times a week at a cost of more than £400 a month. "My wife's just come off maternity leave so now there's two of us travelling in it's going to be very tough," he said.