Thurrock Gazette - Weekending 14/01/2005

COMMUTERS in Thurrock face some of the steepest increase in rail fares across the whole country.

Those in Tilbury Town, Grays, Purfleet, Chafford Hundred and Ockendon will now have to pay eight per cent more for their season ticket and 8.8 per cent more for their ticket including a travelcard.

Annual season ticket fares with all-zones travelcards for those travelling from Stanford-le-Hope, East Tilbury, Basildon and Laindon have increased by five per cent. In 2004, they paid £2420, whereas this figure has risen to £2540 this year.

Thurrock MP Andrew Mackinlay has written to Transport Minister Alistair Darling about the increase.

He said: "My constituents are being expected to accept a massive fare increase, far above inflation or any other headline figure being quoted by other train operating companies and in most cases around four times what passengers from east of Pitsea are being asked to pay. It's a rip-off.

"I have asked the Minister to look into the rationale of what is demonstrably a discriminatory increase. There have been improvements since the dark days of the misery line but they are not exclusive to Thurrock commuters.

"Why then have c2c singled out my constituents for special attention? Targeting huge fare increases in this way is unfair and unacceptable."

Liaison officer for Thurrock Rail Users' Group (TRUG) Pauline Cridland agreed that Thurrock seems be targeted: "TRUG is very disturbed by this apparent discrimination to Thurrock's passengers and intends to challenge C2C as to the motives behind such a huge price rise.

"Thurrock stations have got the worst in the country for fare increases. Nowhere else has got a fare increase to this magnitude. We feel Thurrock has been victimised."

TRUG is also looking into an apparent 14 per cent increase in the Earlybird season ticket from Grays (travelling to London before 7.15am).

Jenny Davison, 32, of Lodge Lane, Grays, said: "I bought my ticket at the beginning of the year and I was expecting a rise, but not by this much. I don't see how they think they can get away with it because everyone I know around here who uses that line can see how expensive it is getting. I get a loan from my company for my travel expenses and they then dock it from my wages." C2C were unavailable for comment.