An average 2.8% increase in rail fares comes into effect on Thursday the 2nd of January, pushing the cost of some commuter travel to more than £5,000 a year. The increase is the smallest rise in four years, according to the pan-industry Rail Delivery Group. Many questions are raised about the constant rise. A popular question which commuters ask is why are the prices going up and the service isn't improving?
Some regulated tickets, including season tickets, anytime and off-peak tickets, have risen on average by 3.1%. Transport Minister Stephen Hammond told the BBC: "Fares are rising but at the lowest they've ever done in the last decade and that's because this government recognises the concerns that people have about rail fares." A worker coming in from Canterbury, Kent traveling to London will pay an extra £100 a year. Ministers want us paying extra towards the re-building of the Victorian network.
Stephen Hammond MP who is a transport minster said this "the governments investing 16 billion in the next five years to upgrade the railway network in terms of maintenance, new lines, new rolling stock and that's key. There is some movement in the basis of the balance between the fare payer and the tax payer."
This years rise in train fares was meant to be a little higher but ministers cut the rate at the last minute.
Where does all the money go?
The government ends up paying 30% of the running costs of trains but they want to reduce this to around 25% so therefore ticket fares aren't likely to go down and they are likely to constantly rise.
Millions of pounds are put into the railways. Some of the costs includes electrifying the lines which makes them greener and better for the environment, that in turn makes them more reliable. The costs also include building new stations across the UK.
A breakdown of the pennies;
For every pound a commuter pays for their fare 26p gets invested back into rail network, 22p of a pound keeps the track maintenance up. Industry staff costs/wages makes up 25p of the pound, leasing the trains costs 11p. The interest payments and other costs is 9p , with 4p being spent on fuel and the remaining 3p goes on train company profits.
Stephen Hammond MP who is a transport minster said this "the governments investing 16 billion in the next five years to upgrade the railway network in terms of maintenance, new lines, new rolling stock and that's key. There is some movement in the basis of the balance between the fare payer and the tax payer."
This years rise in train fares was meant to be a little higher but ministers cut the rate at the last minute.
Where does all the money go?
The government ends up paying 30% of the running costs of trains but they want to reduce this to around 25% so therefore ticket fares aren't likely to go down and they are likely to constantly rise.
Millions of pounds are put into the railways. Some of the costs includes electrifying the lines which makes them greener and better for the environment, that in turn makes them more reliable. The costs also include building new stations across the UK.
A breakdown of the pennies;
For every pound a commuter pays for their fare 26p gets invested back into rail network, 22p of a pound keeps the track maintenance up. Industry staff costs/wages makes up 25p of the pound, leasing the trains costs 11p. The interest payments and other costs is 9p , with 4p being spent on fuel and the remaining 3p goes on train company profits.
Questions to ask:
Why are you making students aged 16-18 pay for an adults price when they are still made to stay in education until the age of 17?
Why are you making students aged 16-18 pay for an adults price when they are still made to stay in education until the age of 17?
Why are the prices constantly rising yet the service is not improving?
Even though the railway lines and the trains could do with improving it isn't absolutely key so why should we pay more if a change is not really important?
From the page to the screen
From the page to the screen
The first part of The Hunger Games: Mockingjay is out in 2014, beginning the conclusion of the adaptation of the teen trilogy.
Based on the novels by Suzanne Collins, the first two films have made millions.
They also encouraged fans to read the books, making Collins one of the best-selling authors in recent years.
With more film adaptations expected in 2014, here are the young adult novels set for the big screen.
James Dashner's The Maze Runner, the first in series of four books, takes as its main character a boy named Thomas.
He arrives in the middle of a maze, with no knowledge of how he got there, soon realising he must find a way out, or die.
Dylan O'Brien, of Teen Wolf, will take the lead role in the film adaptation, with British stars Will Poulter, Kaya Scodelario and Thomas Brodie-Sangster all featuring.
It's currently expected to be released in the UK in October 2014.
Shailene Woodley stars as Hazel, a teenager with terminal cancer, who falls in love with Augustus Waters, played by Ansel Elgort.
The novel debuted at number one on The New York Times bestseller list.
Due out in June 2014, the film's supporting cast includes Sam Trammell, who plays the shapeshifter Sam Merlotte in True Blood.
Divergent is the first of three books written by Veronica Roth. The dystopian film mainly focuses around a futuristic Chicago wherein citizens are grouped into five categories depending on their skills and behaviour. Divergent is often compared with The Hunger Games trilogy, Divergent is a film for viewers who are waiting for those thrilling scenes.
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