Britain’s worst-performing train company is raising fares on many routes by more than double the rate of inflation from tomorrow.

First Great Western is one of several companies taking advantage of unprecedented demand for rail travel to push up fares for some passengers by about 10 per cent.

The rail companies are taking advantage of a loophole in the Government’s price-capping system for season tickets.

While the average season ticket across all routes within a franchise is limited to an increase of 4.8 per cent, the companies can raise fares on particular routes by any amount they choose.

FGW, which ran almost a fifth of its trains late in the past year, is raising the annual season ticket between Maidenhead and London, one of its most popular routes, by 9.65 per cent.

SouthEastern is increasing season ticket prices between Canterbury and London by 11.11 per cent and National Express East Anglia by 6.38 per cent between Norwich and London.

Occasional rail passengers will also pay up to 10 per cent more from tomorrow. FGW is increasing the standard open return fare from Bristol to London by 9.6 per cent, from £125 to £137.

More Trains Less Strain, the passenger campaign group, said that it would be cheaper for two people to take a taxi between the two cities.

A spokesman said: “This is a staggering sum for a journey of only an hour and a half. FGW may claim people can book cheaper tickets in advance, but they are very often not available and people cannot predict exactly when they will travel. Trains are part of our everyday travel network and it’s unfair to force people to plan rail journeys as they do for flights.”

Brian Cooke, chairman of London TravelWatch, has written to the Department for Transport asking it to commission an independent review of FGW’s pricing policy to check whether it was breaching the limit on regulated fare increases.

“We are unhappy that the train companies audit themselves on this,” he said. “The DfT has a vested interest because of its profit-sharing deals with train companies. We need an independent body to check this out.”

The DfT said in July that it planned almost to double the amount collected in fares to £9 billion a year by 2014 and cut subsidy by a third to £3 billion. It said that passengers should pay 75 per cent of the cost of the railways and taxpayers 25 per cent. The costs are evenly divided at present.

Anthony Smith, chief executive of Passenger Focus, said: “A chill wind will blow down many of Britain’s platforms when passengers find out their new fares.

“Steep rises on individual routes are masked by the average figures published by the industry. These unjustified and unfair rises will rankle. Train companies that are not delivering a quality service should freeze their prices. Passengers who are not getting what they have paid for must complain to their train company so the message is received loud and clear.”

Stephen Joseph, executive director of the Campaign for Better Transport, said: “The Government is talking tall but walking short when it comes to ensuring the transport sector tackles climate change. If it is serious about tackling climate change, it must ensure that train journeys are an attractive, affordable option.”

The overall cost of motoring is lower than it was in 1980 in real terms, while rail fares have increased by 40 per cent, according to DfT figures published last month.

George Muir, the director-general of the Association of Train Operating Companies, said: “The revenue from fares helps to pay for investment that directly benefits passengers. Billions of pounds are now being spent to improve the railway and the results are showing through.”

Several train companies, including Stagecoach and First Group, have announced recently rail profits that were well ahead of predictions made when they signed new franchise deals.

Norman Baker, Liberal Democrat transport spokesman, said: “Ministers seem content to force up train fares as a way of limiting demand rather than providing the rail network which is needed for social, economic and, most of all, environmental reasons.”

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