Ticket prices are up, and you can't always get a seat - now it's revealed our decrepit trains are 21-years-old!

Britain's trains are 21 years outdated on common, the very best determine in a minimum of 15 years.

UK rolling inventory is older than at some other level in publicly accessible data, Workplace of Rail and Street (ORR) statistics present.

Lengthy-suffering rail commuters are paying by way of the nostril to journey on decrepit trains, typically having to face as a result of they're so packed, a think-tank stated.

Travellers utilizing the Caledonian Sleeper service between London and Scotland are supplied with the oldest trains on common, at 41 years

One MP warned it was not ok and stated passengers compelled to pay hundreds of kilos a 12 months for season tickets deserve higher.

The ORR stated older trains may end up in much less snug journeys, poorer reliability and worse efficiency than trendy variations, though it additionally famous that older rolling inventory could be refurbished.

Labour MP Louise Ellman stated that is 'not ok'

Campaigners stated there was a postcode lottery for practice high quality.

Travellers utilizing the Caledonian Sleeper service between London and Scotland are supplied with the oldest trains on common, at 41 years.

Merseyrail, which runs trains in Merseyside, has the second oldest fleet at 37 years. Each operators plan to introduce new rolling inventory within the coming years.

TransPennine Specific trains, operating between cities and main cities in northern England and Scotland, are the most recent at 9 years outdated on common. Trains in London and south-east England are usually 19 years outdated, whereas regional companies are 24.

The newest ORR figures cowl the interval between January and March 2016, with data going again to July 2000.

Ed Cox, director of think-tank the Institute for Public Coverage Analysis North, stated: 'It's little marvel that Britain lags behind different developed nations when commuters pay by way of the nostril for decrepit trains.

'Northerners specifically shall be aware of Pacer trains which leak every time it will get moist. It is a nationwide shame and simply not what you'd see in Germany, France or Japan, and even down south.'

Louise Ellman, Labour chairman of the Commons transport committee, stated: 'This isn't ok. It reveals a scarcity of planning – passengers are paying an excessive amount of cash and deserve a better normal of service.'

The figures emerge as rail fares are to leap by a mean of two.three per cent throughout Britain from Monday. Season tickets, that are regulated, will go up by 2.1 per cent. An annual ticket between Haywards Heath in West Sussex and London on the stricken Southern service will rise by nearly £100 to round £four,940.

Lianna Etkind, of the Marketing campaign for Higher Transport, stated there's a 'postcode lottery'

Lianna Etkind, of the Marketing campaign for Higher Transport, stated: 'Extra individuals than ever depend on the railways, they contribute a much bigger proportion to operating prices than ever, they pay extra for his or her tickets than ever, and but there's a postcode lottery within the type of trains they're served by.'

The Rail Supply Group, representing practice corporations, stated it expects the common age of trains to drop to 16 years by 2019 because of the introduction of greater than four,500 new carriages with a capital price in extra of £7.5billion. However the transfer to introduce extra trendy trains the place the motive force can function passenger doorways alone – that are on the centre of the bitter industrial dispute on Southern – has been opposed by union bosses.

Earlier this month Merseyrail introduced a £450million funding in driver-only trains. The RMT union, which has orchestrated the strike motion on Southern, accused Merseyrail of endangering passengers. RMT boss Mick Money has warned of additional strike motion.

A Division for Transport spokesman stated: 'We're delivering the most important rail modernisation programme for over a century and shall be rolling out greater than 5,00zero carriages over the subsequent 4 years which supply extra seats, wi-fi and air con.'

 

Tweet