UK rail fares the highest in the continent

London: Rail passengers in Britain pay up to ten times more for their tickets than their European neighbours, figures revealed yesterday.

They come as passengers brace themselves for a fresh round of fare rises of up to 11 per cent from Monday, and against a background of worsening train punctuality.

Critics say consumers are being ‘ripped off' by an alliance of greedy train companies and tax-hungry Treasury ministers, while passengers on the Continent pay significantly less for their journeys.

A report by the Campaign for Better Transport shows British train passengers pay three-and-a-half times more than even the most expensive equivalent commuter journey of 21-24 miles (33.8-38.6km) highlighted on the other side of the Channel.

It says a 2011 annual season ticket for the journey from Woking to London, including Tube travel in the capital, costs £3,268 (Dh18,514). Yet a similar 22-mile trip from Velletri to Rome costs Italian season ticket holders just £336.17 — nearly a tenth of the price.

In France, a season ticket for the 24-mile trip from Ballancourt-sur-Essonne to Paris costs £924.66 — a third of the UK fare.

The cost of a season ticket on the 21-mile Strausberg-to-Berlin route in Germany is £705.85, while the 22-mile journey from Collado Villalba to Madrid costs Spanish season ticket holders £653.74.

— Daily Mail