The Labour Shadow Transport Minister has admitted that it was wrong to charge commuters in Medway, and in the South East, higher train fares than the rest of the UK.
In 2007 the Labour Government decided to increase fares in the South East by RPI plus 3%, whilst the rest of the country had RPI plus 1%.
This resulted in train fares from Gillingham and Rainham increasing by more than 30%.
In a House of Commons debate on train fares yesterday (5 September 2012), Rehman Chishti MP asked the Shadow Secretary of State, Maria Eagle MP, if she accepts that her Government were wrong to impose RPI plus 3% on the South East when the rest of the country had RPI plus 1%.
In response she said: “I did not think it was right to tie such increases into specific improvements on specific lines, which is what happened in that case.”
This comes as Kent MPs have secured a meeting with the new Secretary of State for Transport, Patrick McLoughlin MP, to discuss commuters’ concerns over fare increases.
The Member of Parliament for Gillingham and Rainham Rehman Chishti MP said:
“It is very revealing that Labour now agree that they were wrong to increase train fares in Medway at a higher rate than the rest of the country, which hit hard working commuters living in Gillingham and Rainham with a 30% increase in fares. The Conservative led Government has brought it back in line with the rest of the UK and I, along with my fellow Kent MPs, will be meeting with the new Secretary of State for Transport to urge him to do all he can to keep rail fares at an affordable level.”