COMMUTERS in Basingstoke will see a £40 increase to their yearly train tickets.


As thousands of workers returned to work after the festive period this week, they will be paying 1.1 per cent more for their tickets in 2016.


Despite it being the lowest increase since 2010, commuters from the town will now be shelling out £4,196 for their annual ticket to London Waterloo, compared to the £4,156 they paid last year.


Since 2010, people commuting from Basingstoke to the capital and using the underground have seen a 10.5 per cent increase in their fares, with tickets now costing £4,992 for an annual ticket.


South West Trains and Network Rail are spending £65 million on main line services, with peak time trains being extended and extra morning services being added.


Basingstoke and Deane Borough Councillor for Brookvale and Kings Furlong, Jack Cousens believes commuters want a reliable and comfortable service.
He said: “Since 2010 we have seen rail fares rise at an astounding rate, which is not matched by the increase in minimum wage.


“Commuters now have a choice, do they move closer to their work, meaning we lose valuable people from the borough, or do they try and find another job closer to home.


“If commuters are seeing a significant amount of their wage spent on travelling, even if they absolutely love their job, they may become disillusioned that this is where a large amount of their income is going. We understand that train usage is increasing, because that is how people want to get to work, but they also want a reliable service.”


The average 1.1 per cent increase in regulated fares applies to around half of tickets including season passes. However, train companies have free reign over unregulated fares.


Paul Plummer, chief executive of the rail Delivery Group, which represents Network rail said that 97p from every pound will go towards bettering the service provided.


He said: “We know that nobody likes to pay more to travel by train, especially to get to work, and at 1.1 per cent this is the smallest average increase in fares for six years.


“This allows the government to focus its funding on building a bigger, better network when the railway is becoming increasingly important at driving economic growth, underpinning jobs and connecting friends and families.”