MP attacks huge rise in rail fares

RAIL fare rises averaging more than 20 per cent since 2010 have come under fire from MP Debbie Abrahams.

The MP for Oldham East and Saddleworth lambasted the Government over the abolition of evening off-peak fares at Greenfield station and its decision to “modernise” the 30-year-old Pacer trains rather than replace them.

She said: “David Cameron, supported by the Lib-Dems, is presiding over a rip-off railway service in Britain and has allowed train companies to hit commuters across the region with these huge increases..

“Tories and Lib-Dems have simply failed to stand up for the working people of Oldham, Saddleworth, and the North-West region, who are struggling with the cost-of-living crisis as fare increases outstrip wage rises by a considerable margin.

“In some areas commuters on an average wage could be paying 17 per cent of their income just getting to and from work.”