Better Transport

Commuters at Clapham Junction station will be asked to sign up for cheaper fares Monday 15 March [1]. Campaigners wearing giant train tickets will talk to passengers and give out campaign postcards.

MPs from all three main parties have already signed up to the campaign’s call for a review of rail fares [2]. Campaign for Better Transport is calling on the MP and parliamentary candidates in Battersea to do the same.

Richard Hebditch, the group’s Campaigns Director said: “Passengers at Clapham Junction know that train fares are far too high [3,4,5]. If politicians want to reduce traffic and cut carbon emissions, they need to make the green option the easy option.”

Notes to editors:

[1] Campaign for Better Transport will be outside Clapham Junction station from 4.30 – 6pm on Monday 15 March 2010.

[2] MPs call for a review of rail fares

[3] Train fares have risen by 13% in real terms since 1997. (Hansard, 5 Feb 2010 : Column 534W.)  

[4] Only 45% of passengers are satisfied with the value for money of their rail ticket. (Passenger Focus, National Passenger Survey, Autumn 2009.)

[5] High fares are passengers’ top priority for improvement. (Passenger Focus, Passengers’ priorities for improvements in rail services, July 2007.)