Moore slams ECML price hike

Tuesday, 17, Nov 2009 12:00

Borders MP Michael Moore has expressed his anger after last week’s announcement that some fares on the nationalised East Coast Main Line will rise by 5% in the New Year.

Mr Moore, who has secured a meeting with officials at the Department for Transport to discuss the future of the line, was speaking after the Chairman of the state-owned company now running the east coast line confirmed over the weekend that the decision of the previous operator to increase fares from 1 January 2010 would not be reversed.

The cost of some off-peak advance tickets is set to increase by between 3% and 5%, despite a deflationary economic environment that saw the retail price index at -1.4% in September.

Commenting, Mr Moore said:

‘Unfair and excessive ticket pricing is one of the issues that the Government should be using this period of public ownership to try and address. With this announcement they have made the worst possible start.

‘National Express proposed these price hikes at a time when they were desperately seeking to raise funds to meet their financial obligations to the Department for Transport. Now that the line is under state control it seems absurd that officials should be seeking to follow through with these plans.’