Some train fares are set to quadruple in price because of a change in classification of train times from ‘off-peak’ to the more expensive ‘peak’. The train companies are able to increase their fares with this tactic without the need for permission from their regulator.

Passenger Focus, the rail watchdog, described some of the fare increases as ‘astronomical’ although train companies claim only a ‘tiny’ number of passengers are affected.

An example of one of the larger fare increases is a return from London to Manchester at 9.15am returning at 8.55am the next day would have set you back £66 last year but the same ticket on Virgin Trains now costs £262!

Virgin said the re-designation of times and prices only affected 3.4 per cent pf their services, and South West said it affected eight per cent of its services.

Virgin also stressed that passengers can still make savings by buying their tickets in advance, and online.

Edward Welsh, of the Association of Train Operating Companies (Atoc), said the vast majority of travellers have seen fares fall, stay the same or rise below the rate of inflation over time, whereas conversely Bob Crow, general secretary of the RMT Union, said rail firms had used privatisation as a “licence to print money”.

Some tips for keeping fares as cheap as possible are as follows:

• Buy in advance
• Travel Off-Peak
• Buy a railcard which can save up to a third on your ticket price, railcards range from a Young Person’s 16-25 Railcard, Family and Friends Railcard or a Senior Railcard.
• A slightly longer way of getting cheap tickets is to split your fares and buy shorter journey legs, a website to help you do this is Splitfare.
• You could consider season tickets which often offer discounts to single journeys

A high court judge has in the last hour granted a temporary injunction to Network Rail to stop the strike by signal workers for 4 days next week in a result reminiscent of British Airways’ tactics in their dispute with Unite. Network Rail claimed that there were indiscrepencies in the way that the union ballot for the strike was held and was therefore unlawful.

The irregularities in the vote were said to be:

• balloting 11 signal boxes that have been closed for years

• recording more votes than employees in 67 locations

• failing to ballot 26 workplaces involving 100 staff

• balloting 12 locations where staff were ineligible to vote.

This does not affect the strike by maintenance workers also planned for next week, however this will only cause minor disruption in comparison to what was expected if both strikes went ahead.

The union will now re-ballot its members. RMT General Secretary Bob Crow said in response to the injunction: ”This judgment is an attack on the whole trade union movement and twists the anti-union laws even further in favour of the bosses. Workers fighting for the principle of a safe railway have had the whole weight of the law thrown against them.”

A relief to travellers next week, however if the ballot is returned for another strike there is disruption yet to come.

Network Rail is seeking an injunction against the strike planned for next week, claiming that there are discrepancies in the vote that decided on the strike. Papers have been served to the RMT Union this afternoon.

The union’s General Secretary, Bob Crow said ”We spent two days in talks and making some serious progress Network Rail has chosen to sabotage that progress by using the anti-union laws to drag us into the High Court. As far aw we are concerned we ran a perfectly legal and above board ballot and will defend our position to the hilt.”

In an open letter on Network Rail’s website, Chief Executive Iain Coucher said ”Network Rail has worked very hard indeed to make reasonable and worthwhile offers to the unions so we can negotiate an end to their disputes.

“I don’t believe any of those offers have been considered seriously by the unions’ leaders during our many discussions, which also involved ACAS for two days last week… or they wouldn’t have called a national rail strike.

“We will keep trying to help the unions and their members understand our offers to avoid strikes: but they must want to negotiate, and not just make empty gestures about talking.”

The strike could effectively bring the rail system to a halt but there were reports this morning that if Network Rail manage to run a skeleton service then commuters who have spent thousands of pounds on season tickets will not be able to receive compensation. Passengers who have bought a ticket for a train which is cancelled due to the strike will be able to get a refund or an alternative ticket. London TravelWatch have said for commuters however, that if they are unable to get to work for a ‘reasonable hour’ then they should be entitled to claim compensation as not everyone is able to travel at alternative times in the day.