The severity of over crowding begs me to wonder....what is the legal capacity on a train carriage, seated and standing, these numbers are displayed in plain sight on buses but i have yet to see one on train carriages and on tube trains, just a thought!!!!!

donna stanley, wimbledon, Great Britain

Just another indication of why so many of us are emigrating....

stephen, Pontypridd, Wales

Those who hanker after the return of Nationalised British Rail are either too young to remember it or are old enough but have very short memories. The modern setup may not be good but Britiah Rail were far, far worse and certainly no cheaper.
The answer is to get a grip of the current system.

Jimmy R, Highlands, Scotland

If the rail companies are discouraged from having annual far increases, they will almost certainly have far increases twice a year instead.

Tom Rayfield, Chinnor, Oxon, UK

Lots of non-financial arguments here. Trains are not cheap. The french SNCF is massively subsidised. No one would be in this position if prices had been realistic in the first place. Take the coach, and admit you aren't rich enough for the train. Or work closer to home, as you should have anyway.

Greg Lorriman, Leatherhead, UK

Once you realise New Labour are masters of an economic madhouse, the nonsense railway pricing falls into place.

Tony Gee, London,

This is scandalous. The government should surcharge the rail operators, bring them to their knees, and re-nationalise them.

DavidK, London, UK

ripe off Britain...we only have our selfs to blame by letting this happen...we are a nation of soppy Labradors who roll over and let our bellies be rubbed by the government time and time again

steve, st albans, england

Having looked at the proposed increases amongst the various train companies they're ALL putting up their regulated and unregulated fares by virtually the same amount. How is this "competition"?
the rail service in this country is utterly disgusting, we should adopt the Japanese rail service model.

rich, leeds, uk

Absolutely crazy. How can this be justified?!Trains should be a cheap mean of transport and a valid alternative to a car, not an expensive one and on top of that trains are always late and the service is appalling!

nick, Munich,

Just another way of raising tax - cut subsidies. We really have no idea how to run public services in the UK. If demand exceeds supply, don't increase supply, just raise the price until they are back in balance. Thanks, Tories and Labour.

Colin, Shrewsbury,

Travelling from Brighton to Northumberland in a car is actually cheaper than by train using cheapest tickets and takes about the same time though the road M A1 is simply appalling, especially compare with main Autoroutes.
Trains from the coast to London were faster in the 19th century, unbelievable

Damian, Brighton,

There are more passengers than capacity on the trains, so they are pushing the prices up to reduce demand.

Every evening West coast train going North from London always seems to have a mad dash of office workers as they try and bag the last remaining seats.

Michael, Edinburgh, UK

I can hire a taxi from Heathrow to Lowestoft for £135 and have help with my bags and be let off at my door. Or I can lug my bags up and down stairs through the crowded tube to Liverpool St. and buy a ticket and (maybe) get a seat in first class for a total of £120. Trains aren't worth the bother.

alice, salado/lowestoft, US/UK

Nu labour...a transport horror.

rick, newcastle, uk

If you blokes think your trains are bad, try getting a train in New South Wales.
They are much worse than anything I travelled on in the UK, and just as expensive

liam, sydney, australia

Glasgow- London return

Virgin £250.
Easyjet + Gatwick Express £100.

What was that waffle last week that we were going to build a super fast rail link. Who will use it at these prices?

The truth is that the Govt don't want the poor to travel at all.

Chris Jones, London, UK

These are staggering increases and are unjustifiable. Eurostar's cheap return rate London to Paris is still £59 - seat reserved.

CeliaD, London, UK

It costs me £70 to travel off peak Aberystwyth to Grantham, £20 by car, not only that by car it takes me four hours, by train 7 hours. How on earth is the train cheaper and more reliable?

Anne, Nottingham,

Hitch hiking might become an acceptable way of traveling once again.

CHARLIE, LONDON, United Kingdom

I work for the civil service agency that has made huge savings in rail costs. We use more video & audio & arrange midday meetings to avoid peak fares. Looks like the operators have wised up. We'll have to ditch the trains & use office cars. Suits me, cheaper, safer, flexible, faster & less smelly!!

carol, stamford , uk

252 pounds for a return between Glasgow and London makes the eyes water. I recently completed a round trip of similar distance at peak time from my home in Slovenia to Vienna for about 50 euros. Before the recession that would have been between 40 and 45 pounds. On a modern Austrian train.

Barrie Redfern, Zdole, Slovenia

The worst, inefficient and most expensive railway system in Europe, if not the world. What a wonderful legacy these doltish politicians of all parties have bequeathed us! The railways must be renationalised, along with gas, electricity, water and telephone. The age of profiteering is now past!

Ian Dickson, Brighton, UK

Many parttime workers who worked in 'off peak' hours will either have to give up/lose their jobs because they cannot afford these higher prices/it will be impossible to do any substantial work within the new hours. Selling off the railways/utlities was only going to result in greater expense to us!!

Andy, London,

How is it cheaper than by car? Maybe some routes would be for a single person, but if 2 people or a family travel, then a car is far cheaper, even including expensive NCP car parks and congestion. Can the Conservatives bite the bullet and promise to re-nationalize the railways, but run it efficienty

JN, WORCESTER, UK

why is is only england that takes years to upgrade 1 line WCML..itf it were Germany/France/Japan, it would be done efficiently/less fuss/ontime & on budget... contract companies know they can over run and rip us off because the government are involved (remember wembley!!!)

Simon, warwickshire,

It costs less to get a return train ticket from where I live in the South West to Birmingham Airport, and then fly (return) to Paris than it does to get a return train ticket to London. Utterly disgusting. Labour has completely failed us in this area, as in so many more.

Stu, Leicester,

More and more airports add a "development fee" (such as Blackpool, £10) which everyone HAS to pay - just to use the airport. The rail station owners will soon twig that this is free money, and charge £20 just to use the station in addition to your ticket. The French would riot, we meekly accept.

Wardy, Bolton,

Puffing Billys or Silly Billys?
This is what happens when your political and goverment institutions are dysfunctional. You enter a strange world of fantasy where the policy is green but the reality is bizare fantasy. Santa might help by giving lifts on one of the days when the trains dont run.

Alan Milner, Guarapari, Brasil

The railway companies have been taking us for mugs for years- overcharging for a dreadful service. The government has been trying to get us to be more environmental and take public transport. Sadly the point has come where, however envirnomentally concerned w are most of us cannot afford the train

andy, London,

There is no-one speaking out on behalf of the train companies but their own spokesmen; what possible objection can there be to government placing better oversight or indeed control over them?
I honestly can't understand why the government doesn't seem to want to do something about this.

James , london, UK

I hate driving in the UK but have no option now due to cost. Every time I have gone by train, I've shared the carriage with drunks and people incapable of behaving in a civilised fashion. I can get to Rome from home for 90€ return on Euro star in peace and quiet. What is happening in the UK

Alex Nixon, Durham, UK

The government have privatised a service without ensuring that there is legitimate competition. They then completely fail to regulate the service. It's a total mess and the rail companies see this as a way to print money rather than a way to reinvest in the infrastructure. A criminal result.

Jonathan, Chicago, USA

Bring back national railways, I say. This is daylight robbery. If they were brought back into the public domain they would not be allowed to do this. The only way we can show our disgust is not to use them and fill up the motorways with our cars! How stupid is that? Remind me of their profits?

Vanessa, London,

This is rip off Britain in another guise. No value for money. Passengers will now be paying more but still forced to stand. When is the government going to focus on the real issues with coherent and joined up policies. Makes a nonsense of Green and arguments for reducing pollution and road usage

Stapleton, Ely, UK

I gave up on FGW 6 months ago and switched to coaches. 50 minute longer journey but cheaper, clean and runs to timetable. The money I paid to FGW gave me an appalling service - rude staff, late trains, limited seats. They think they have a captive customer base. Shameful.

Tess, London,

Take the bus. Takes about three hours instead of 45 mins but is usually under 20 pounds. it is the way those on pensions and benefits, including the recently redundant have to travel.

jane, Whittlesey, UK

Greed, greed, greed. Enough said.

Paul Mc Donald, London , United Kingdom

If it was me I,d drive my car rather than be robbed by these rail companies. . We do not have an efficient service either, trains delayed because of leaves on the tracks, the wrong kind of snow etc The trains I used to use were dirty and people allowed to have their feet on the seats opposite.

Mabs, Northampton, UK

Unbelievable. We all know the railways are a national shame, that their state is detrimental to both the economy and national well-being. We know it was the Tories who caused the initial mess but this lot have been in for a decade. Why so yellow? Act.

Euan, London,

The cost is so much more in Britain than other countries because of the messy, bureaucratic and plain silly way the industry is organised. Put a unified railway back together, and cut costs considerably!

Andy, London,

I just bought a return ticket to London from Halifax to visit the US Embassy. Because of my appointment time I cannot travel off peak.so my ticket cost 170 pounds.This is totally unacceptable. I thought trains were supposed to be designed for mass transit and green. At this price I do not think so.

Andrew Tagg, Halifax, UK

A privatised railway? How is it private when it still gobbles up £7 billion in subsidies. Who privatised in the first place?

bob holmes, axbridge , England

We're paying for privatising and route upgrades (eg WCML). If we had been asked, we'd opted for cheap fares and old railways. Certainly we do not need high speed links: we won't be able to afford them.

Richard, UK,

Finally address the issue of NO real regulation of the railways in Britain (as for housing, tube, ....) or just hand the lines to the Germans and French, they will sort it out for us

T Andre, London, UK

Rail fares in the UK should be regulated in line with those of SNCF and Deutsche Bahn.

Dan, London, UK

Now you see the fallacy of the Tories privatization This is what happens when the 'market decides' Since 1996 we have had repeated price rises above inflation, major safety and maintenance issues, and continual delays on over running engineering works. We needed a co-ordinated transport policy

Pat, BOURNEMOUTH, United Kingdom

Privatizing rail service has definitely worked out for the public hasn't it?

Bruce L.Northwood, Washington, D.C. , USA

Less expensive than commuting by car? I don't drive any more but I can't believe that the petrol needed to travel from London to Glasgow will be as much as £252.

Sue, Birmingham, UK

Travel by car? Go by plane - darn sight cheaper. These increases in fares are unbelievable.

Ian Burgess, Bristol, United Kingdom

Welcome to Rip-Off Britain 2009! Which reminds me of the gas companies which are ripping us off too. And what is the government doing about it? Publishing statistics which show that everything has become better for consumers. Disgraceful liars!

Peter, Liverpool, UK

Fundamental business principle: if you don't sell you can't make a profit. A huge number of journeys are completely unneccesary - we'll just stop making many of them if the price is too high.

J Jenkins, York,

Something had to give, and I gave up using the train last Christmas, in favour of using my good old 1974 bicycle. Since then I have done 4800 miles and (after bike expenses) saved about £1,000. I am healthier and happier. So they can put the price up if they like but I won't be paying it.

panthera, Middlesex, UK

All about UK transport policy is bankrupt, and the Government has done nothing about it. We still have the dire bus deregulation and rail privatisation, which are thereby confirmed as Labour policy, not just a previous Tory one. Brown has spent, and badly: on un-needed school sheds and health waste.

steve moxon, Sheffield,

I left my City job in the summer because I could not stand the ghastly, dirty, overcrowded, often late, First Great Western service. All the rail tracks should be ripped up, roads laid and used by lorries and coaches. I sincerely hope the economic downturn is so bad the train companies go bust!

Robert Warner, Oxford,

It has become cheaper for even a single person to travel by car. Perhaps this is this a devious path to a new 'Beeching' report? Empty trains? we should close them down they think. For those that dont know the UK has the most expensive rail travel in the World, even in comparison to wages.

Steve, London, UK