RAIL passengers are to be hit by another excessive fare increase despite chaotic services and late or cancelled trains, the Tory government revealed yesterday.

The Department for Transport has announced an increase of 4.9 per cent in fares from March 2024.

The Trade Union Congress (TUC) said the increase “sums up all that is wrong” with privatised railways.

And rail union TSSA said “profiteering rail companies” were again the winners.

Passenger pressure group London TravelWatch condemned “another unwelcome price hike” and demanded “urgent reform” to fares and ticketing.

TUC general secretary Paul Nowak said: “Today’s excessive hike sums up everything that is wrong with our rail network.

“Ministers are tone deaf to the ongoing cost-of-living crisis that remains a real burden on working people right across the economy.

“UK passengers are already paying the highest fares in Europe in return for late-running, overcrowded and routinely cancelled trains.

“Meanwhile private train operating companies – and the government – are sacrificing much-needed investment by lining the pockets of shareholders.”

Mr Nowak said it is time to bring services back into public ownership so that “passengers and the workforce get a fair deal.”

TSSA general secretary Maryam Eslamdoust said: “We remain in a cost-of-living crisis and whatever spin the Conservative government tries to put on this announcement, the only winners will again be the profiteering rail companies.”

BBC analysis shows that between January and July last year only 56 per cent of trains were on time, 41 per cent were at least one minute late and 3 per cent were cancelled.