Labour and the Conservatives can’t stop blaming each other for rising train fares
London's Labour mayor Sadiq Khan and Conservative politicians are blaming each other for the rising cost of rail travel this morning.
Commuters returning to work this week are set to see their train fares rise by an average of 2.3 per cent.
And both sides of the political spectrum have gone on the attack this morning, with each accusing the other of broken promises.
In his campaign for London mayor, Khan vowed to freeze TfL fares for four years.
However, it later emerged this would not include the weekly or monthly travelcards used by many commuters.
This has led London Conservatives, including Tory MP James Cleverly, to hit the streets and brandish flyers outside stations this morning.
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The leader of London Tories Gareth Bacon said: “[Khan] said you will not pay a penny more in 2020, but just like all the other promises his fare freeze is not worth the paper it is written on – and ordinary working Londoners are paying the price.”
But Khan has nonetheless hailed his “landmark” fare freeze, and reiterated his position that City Hall is unable to stop other fares increasing without support from the Westminster government.
The mayor has long argued that because travelcards include services outside of the TfL, it requires an intervention from the Department for Transport.
"Given the train companies’ woeful record of delays, cancellations and overcrowding, it’s scandalous that the government are letting the train companies off the hook again. The government must match my fares freeze next year,” Khan said.
The former Tooting MP has been pushing for greater control of London's suburban rail services, but was snubbed by transport secretary Chris Grayling last month.