Chronicle: “Southeastern is taking us for a ride”
“The fares per mile show just how much the rail companies have milked the commuters of West Kent. We pay nearly 30 per cent per mile more than passengers from Knockholt”
SRTA Chairman Tony Clayton is quoted in today’s feature on the high rail fares paid by Sevenoaks commuters in the Sevenoaks Chronicle. He said:-
“Through successive fare rounds the rail companies have taken the view that people who work in London and travel from Sevenoaks, Dunton Green, Tonbridge and Tunbridge Wells are captive customers who can be asked to subsidise others.”
“We pay between five and 15 per cent more per mile than commuters from further out. We pay nearly 30 per cent per mile more than passengers from Knockholt, who are covered by the TfL fare regime, which we were denied a few months ago.”
“It is interesting to see that Southern Railways, from Guildford, Reigate and Redhill, seems to have a much more even – and lower – range of fares per mile. We understand that DfT and Southeastern Railways justify the higher fares in Kent because of the ‘major investment’ in HS1. But of course this investment has only improved the services from Ashford and East Kent, and has not benefited West Kent commuters at all.”
“What is happening now is simply unfair. In its fares for 2014, Southeastern Railways should be challenged to reduce the discrimination against Sevenoaks, Tonbridge and Tunbridge Wells. We have not seen any passenger numbers from the new luxury, low cost coach service to Docklands, but these discriminatory fare figures must be the best advert they could ask for.”
The Sevenoaks Chronicle found that rail travellers from our local stations shell out up to 39 per cent more than those in Surrey, such as Reigate and Redhill; and travellers will fork out almost twice as much as someone travelling into other big cities such as Manchester, Cardiff or Edinburgh.
Update: Steve Ollington has shared this graphic showing how the fares increase station by station from London:
Thanks to Steve Ollington (@SteveOllington)
Full Sevenoaks Chronicle story: http://www.sevenoakschronicle.co.uk/TAKING-RIDE/story-20235682-detail/story.html
We’ve got our elected “representatives” to thank for TfL not being allowed onto SouthEastern rails.
I consistently got garbage from my MP when asking him to support the transfer.
He also tells me Dartford can’t be brought into London zonal system outside of a franchise renewal. Odd then, that transfers in did happen in Southern and SouthWestern (Ewell West, Ewell East, Banstead, Epsom Downs) other than at franchise renewal time.
Interesting picture from Steve Ollington. It suggests that the journey from Sevenoaks to Knockholt must be the most expensive per mile on the rail network. Are they charging for the view of the Darenth Valley as you leave Dunton Green? South Eastern Railway says its fares are ‘market based’ …