McLoughlin says rail fare increases "regrettable" as campaigners say privatisation is cause

Transport secretary Patrick McLoughlin today says that "any fare increase is regrettable" and accepts that an average 2.2% increase in peak fares is "more than passengers want to pay".

But he claimed in an interview with the BBC that the record investment in new stations, rolling stock and track, amounting to £38bn over five years, requires an increased contribution from farepayers. 

Trades unions and the Green Party used the latest increase to step up their campaign for the public sector to deliver rail services, whilst the Campaign for Better Transport urged an end to using the retail price index to calculate inflation and faster progress on flexible tickets.

Caroline Lucas MP is pushing her private members' bill to take into public ownership contracts once they expire, underlining that fragmentation led to an extra £1.2bn in costs every year.