Fares are ‘outrageous’

10:06am Tuesday 15th January 2008

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A RAIL fare hike which has seen the price of some annual tickets soar by £140 has been criticised as "outrageous".

And while passengers travelling from Maze Hill into central London are having to dig deep, those down the road in Greenwich are only paying an extra £20.

Train operator Southeastern has introduced a zoned fare structure so Oyster cards can be used in the future.

This means fares vary according to which zone commuters are travelling from.

Maze Hill is in Zone 3, meaning the cost of a season ticket from the station has leapt from £572 last year to £712.

But in Greenwich, which is the next stop along and in Zone 2, it has only risen from £520 to £540.

Malcolm Reid, a finance director from Maze Hill, travels to Charing Cross every day.

Mr Reid, 34, of Woodlands Park Road, said: "The train fares always go up a bit each year but this year was outrageous.

"There are many people round here who depend on the train."

Mr Reid says he will not benefit from the introduction of the Oyster system as he only uses trains.

He added: "A lot of people in south east London don't need to use the buses or Underground."

Transport watchdog London TravelWatch says Maze Hill was the second worst hit by the fare rises and questioned whether it should be in Zone 3.

Communications officer Jo Debank said: "We think the zone needs to be looked at again."

Southeastern's regulated fares, which includes season tickets, increased by an average of 6.8 per cent.

A company spokesman stressed the percentage increase on regulated fares is controlled by the Government and said the quality of service has improved.

He added Southeastern was required by the Department for Transport to introduce the new fare structure.

The spokesman said: "Some fares have gone up and others have gone down, but we appreciate for the losers this decision will not be popular.

"Zonal fares are simpler for passengers to understand and for those whose journeys may start and end at different stations, may offer financial savings."

However, Councillor Andy Jennings, the Conservative London Assembly candidate for Greenwich and Lewisham said: "I shall be urging Transport for London to think again about their zonal boundaries and press for a review to make our fares fairer."