Ed Miliband is considering plans to fight the next election with a pledge to freeze rail fares.
A year-long ban on fare rises is to be debated next month by the party’s National Policy Forum for possible inclusion in the manifesto. Rail unions who drew up the plan said it would be hugely popular with commuters.
Backers claim it could help swing votes in marginals such as Hastings and Dover, where an annual season ticket costs £5,000, and by election day in 2015, fares will have risen by more than a fifth since 2010. Mr Miliband scored one of his biggest successes by promising to freeze gas and electricity bills for 20 months, pending a shake-up.
Extending such a scheme to rail was one of several ideas put forward when four unions met Jon Cruddas, the MP for Dagenham and Rainham who is in charge of identifying policies for the manifesto.
They claim it could be paid for by taking private rail operations back into public ownership when the franchises expire, and running them as not-for-profit businesses. Party sources stressed no decision was imminent.
“There is real anger out there over the cost of commuting to work,” said a union source who was at the talks with Mr Cruddas at TUC headquarters.
“A £5,000 season ticket is now commonplace for long-distance commuters who are saying, ‘Enough is enough.’ A freeze on fares, and a pledge to keep them under inflation for the rest of the parliament, would make a real difference to hard-working families. It would be a vote-winner across the South-East.” The Government already has powers to regulate fare rises on many routes, including commuter lines.
The Rail Delivery Group, which represents the industry, defended its prices. It said: “By offering a range of fares to suit all pockets, running thousands more services and getting hundreds of thousands more people to their destinations, the industry’s generated growth that far outstrips European countries with state-run railways.
“This is helping to fund further improvements to services.”
Shadow Transport Secretary Mary Creagh said: “Season tickets have gone up by 20% under this Government adding to David Cameron’s cost-of-living crisis. He has allowed train companies to hit commuters with inflation-busting fare rises costing them hundreds of pound a year.
“Labour would remove the ‘flex’ on rail fares and bring in a tough cap on fares to keep rail travel affordable.”
