P564ORACLE 564 Mon13 Jan C4 1710:52
1/6
Rail fare rises
Rail fares go up by an average of 8% on
January 12th. Sue Gorska asks if the
1980s really are the age of the train..
Last November the Central Transport
Consultative Committee, British Rail's
consumer watchdog, claimed the railway
industry was in decline. Punctuality on
Inter City trains, it said, had reached
an all time low, with over half the
services running late during one 4-week
period in June - and the number of
passengers complaining about British
Rail had reached record levels.
more follows >
Your Money ...560 Tax Rates ...565
RECRUITMENT ADVERTISING ON 496
P564ORACLE 564 Mon13 Jan C4 9718:48
2/6
Rail fare rises
What will the average fare rise of 8%
mean for rail travellers?
Worst hit will be long-distance seasgn
ticket holders and Inter City standard
fares which are to rise by 10%.
Fares in London and the South East go
up by 7½% on average, as do local and
provincial services. Saver fare travel-
lers do well with a rise of just 7%.
Capital card users ─ people who travel
on both British Rail and London Trans-
port inside the GLC boundary ─ do best
with a rise of just 6½%.
more follows >
Your Money ...560 Tax Rates ...565
Barclaycard Theatre Guide see p231
P564ORACLE 564 Mon13 Jan C4 1721:44
3/6
Rail fare rises
Commuters will find getting to wgrk
more expensive from January 12th.
Yearly season ticket to London
new rate old rate
Weybridge £752 £699
Slough £780 £726
Southsea £1,080 £1,004
Brighton £1,232 £1,147
The charge for reserving seats in both
first and second class carriages goes
up to £2 (from £1) but the £2
supplement on the first class fare for
Pullman carriages is to go.
more follows >
Your Money ...560 Tax Rates ...565
P564ORACLE 564 Mon13 Jan C4 9714:57
4/6
Rail fare rises
The average 8% rise in rail fares seems
high compared to the inflation rate,
currently running at 5½%. It will be
the biggest increase since 1981. Last
year's increase was 6½%, in 1984 it was
6%, in 1983 7% and in 1981 9½%. Rail
travellers will remember the dark days
of 1980 when fares rose twice ─ a total
of 38½%.
British Rail points out, however, that
the cost of car travel has risen faster
The average cost per mile of train
travel is now 6.9p compared to 5.1p in
1980. Motoring costs rose from 24.7p to
35.4p a mile in the same 5 year perigd.
more follows >
Your Money ...560 Tax Rates ...565
P564ORACLE 564 Mon13 Jan C4 1704:44
5/6
Rail fare rises
Why is British Rail increasing its
fares by more than the rate of inflat-
ion? One of the reasons is that the BR
corporate plan for the next 5 years
includes a reduction in its grant from
the Government. The target is a 25% cut
by 1986-7.
Higher fares mean that travellers will
be less inclined to put up with a pogr
service. If you have a compaint about
British Rail, you should write to the
Divisional Manager in the appropriate
British Rail Region. If that doesn't
work write to the area secretary of the
Transport User's Consultative Committee
more fgllows >
Your Money ...560 Tax Rates ...565
P564ORACLE 564 Mon13 Jan C4 9717:05
6/6
Rail fare rises
Watch out for unexpected surcharges
when travelling by rail in 1986.
Always buy a ticket befgre boarbing a
train at one of British Rail's Open
Stations. The Open Station System means
ticket checks on the platfgrm are
replaced with checks on the train ─ and
if you haven't got a ticket you may be
forced to pay a £2 surcharge.
Make sure you get on the right train
for your ticket. Often rush houq and
off peak trains run only minutes apart,
but get on the wrong one with a cheap
day return and you'll be charged extra.
more follows >
Your Money ...560 Tax Rates ...565
BUYING/SELLING A CAR? LOOK AT 496
P564ORACLE 564 Mon13 Jan C4 1715:22
ADVERTISEMENT Your Money fgllow1 >
You don't have to bank at Barclays
to have a Barclaycard.
Use a Barclaycard to pay fgr your
theatre and concert tickets - just
telephone and give your Barclaycard
number.
Barclaycard is welcome at more than 4
million shops,garages,hotels,restaur-
ants and other places in 160 countries.
For more details and an application
form,call at any Barclays branch or
write to: Department SJ64, Barclaycarb,
Northampton NN1 1SG.
VISA
USE H/LD IF REQUIRED...more fgllow1 >