Not so Happy 2018 from Southeastern Trains

The 2018 fares have just been announced. An annual Standard Class season ticket from Sevenoaks to Charing Cross or Cannon Street, currently £3,380, will increase to an eye-watering £3,500.

As usual, Sevenoaks commuters are being gouged. Similar length commuter journeys on other operators are significantly cheaper - Watford Junction to London is 11% cheaper and Redhill to London is 18% cheaper.

The Government allows each of the train companies to increase their regulated prices by up to the RPI measure of inflation.

Needless to say, Southeastern are taking the maximum permissible increase in regulated fares - as well as increasing some unregulated fares twice already this year. In the final year of the current franchise there's little prospect of that money being 'invested' into services that the company may lose at the end of next year - it is likely to go straight into corporate profits.

action@sevenoakslibdems.org.uk