The TaxPayers Alliance have published a good report on the subsidies to rail fares paid for by the Government out of our taxes. For example they say “Forecasts indicate that rail services will be subsidised by £11 billion in the financial year 2022-23”; and “The average rail fare in 2022-23 will be £6.12 per journey. An additional £7.51 in subsidy is required to make up the full cost of that journey”.

In summary rail users don’t pay anyway near enough for their journeys. The rail system is archaic technology with frequent breakdowns. For example, yesterday lines out of Waterloo were closed most of the day when a single train derailed after hitting something on the tracks. Commuters were severely inconvenienced with very few alternative routes. Compare that with the road system which can quickly recover from temporary disruptions.

The rail network is enormously expensive to maintain and is not getting any cheaper. The Government continues to pump money into the archaic rail system instead of improving our roads. Most of the subsidies come out of our taxes when most taxpayers do not even use the rail system.

See the full report here: https://www.taxpayersalliance.com/briefing_the_true_cost_of_rail_subsidies

Roger Lawson

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Drivers_London

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