"Labour to reduce rail fares by a third"

[geoffk]

Labour has announced plans to reduce rail fares by a third and simplify ticket prices for part-time workers if it wins the upcoming election. The party also wants to make train travel free for young people under the age of 16.

Such a policy could only be applied to regulated fares, which include most standard and saver return fares, as well as weekly season tickets and off-peak fares between major cities. They make up about 45% of all fares.

Apart from the obvious argument that many trains can’t accommodate any more passengers and that extra money would have to be found from somewhere, what are the main implications for unregulated fares? I would guess that operators would respond by increasing them.

The need for part-time workers to be recognised in season ticket pricing has come up before, but I'm not sure about teenagers riding around for nothing!

 

[Spamcan81]

And how does Labour intend to create the capacity to cope with the increased demand their policy will create?

 

[Aictos]

Got to ask but where do you find the people who come up with such stupid ill thought policies?

 

[bb21]

Got to ask but where do you find the people who come up with such stupid ill thought policies?

They are clever headline-grabbing snippets with little substance. It doesn't matter though, as plenty of pledges conveniently fall by the wayside once an election is won.

Clever as headlines go, but then it speaks volumes of the electorate if they fall for it.

 

[Journeyman]

Labour has announced plans to reduce rail fares by a third and simplify ticket prices for part-time workers if it wins the upcoming election. The party also wants to make train travel free for young people under the age of 16.

Such a policy could only be applied to regulated fares, which include most standard and saver return fares, as well as weekly season tickets and off-peak fares between major cities. They make up about 45% of all fares.

Apart from the obvious argument that many trains can’t accommodate any more passengers and that extra money would have to be found from somewhere, what are the main implications for unregulated fares? I would guess that operators would respond by increasing them.

The need for part-time workers to be recognised in season ticket pricing has come up before, but I'm not sure about teenagers riding around for nothing!

I suspect you'd see advance tickets disappear, which would mean the current ability of TOCs to sell empty seats cheap, and regulate demand and capacity, would disappear.

Much as I hate the current government, I despair at the complete idiocy coming out of Labour at the moment.

 

[geoffk]

If Labour had just said they would stop the January increase that would have been a more realistic offer.

 

[Journeyman]

If Labour had just said they would stop the January increase that would have been a more realistic offer.

Yeah, a freeze for a few years would be enough to make fares start feeling cheaper after a while.

It's all theoretical, anyway. I very much doubt Corbyn will be PM in two weeks' time.

 

[CaptainHaddock]

I'm sure I heard Corbyn say that if Labour get in, we'll all get a free annual First Class All Line Rover.

 

[yorksrob]

The best thing they could do would be to end the policy of driving down overall subsidy and stabilize the proportion of railway costs paid by subsidy, as opposed to fare revenue. This policy has been at the route of unacceptable rises in recent years.

 

[AM9]

They are clever headline-grabbing snippets with little substance. It doesn't matter though, as plenty of pledges conveniently fall by the wayside once an election is won.

Clever as headlines go, but then it speaks volumes of the electorate if they fall for it.

But nobody will ever know what the electorate voted for each party for, - in the case of Labour: cheaper rail travel, free broadband, second referendum, free school meals, increased NHS funding and of course a whole lot of non-support for competing parties' pledges.

 

[robbeech]

I'm sure I heard Corbyn say that if Labour get in, we'll all get a free annual First Class All Line Rover.

With a free holiday in the south of France thrown in for good measure? unless you earn an above average wage in your job though of course.

 

[MotorcycleAlan]

Just to save your time, this has been done to death in:
https://www.railforums.co.uk/threads/election-2019-promises.195416/

 

[LOL The Irony]

Pigs will suddenly sprout wings and fly
and other stupid things you can tell yourself

Volume 683542647391245097636452986025xInfinty
2019 Edition

Yeah, this is laughable at best.