'If I was late constantly and asked for a 3.4% pay rise I'd get laughed at!' Fury at 'staggering' 3.4% rail fare hike from January - the biggest in five years

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Commuters were left furious today after it was revealed rail fares will rise by more than most people's salaries from next month despite missed punctuality targets. 

The biggest rise in five years - by an average of 3.4 per cent - comes after one in nine trains failed to meet the rail industry's punctuality target in the past 12 months.

The Rail Delivery Group said the increase was below both the regulated fares rise of 3.6 per cent and the Retail Price Index measure of inflation at 4 per cent for October.

Train fares in Britain will rise by an average of 3.4 per cent next month, it has been revealed

One in nine trains failed to meet the rail industry's punctuality target in the past year. Pictured: File image of a National Express East Anglia 360 Desiro locomotive at Ingatestone in Essex

But the rise was above the Consumer Prices Index measure of inflation for October of 2.8 per cent, and the latest average weekly earnings rise of 2.2 per cent.

Twitter users were quick to voice their anger at the fare rises today, pointing out that it can be cheaper to fly to Europe than to use the train in Britain. 

Theresa Wood tweeted: 'The hike in rail fares in totally unjustified and appalling. It's nearly £90 from Salisbury to London. It's cheaper to fly to Europe. What the hell is going on?' 

Sadie Marie said: 'Imagine if my salary also was raised by 3.4 per cent in January too.'

Commuters have been left furious by the rail fares going up amid anger over poor services

And Laura Green added: 'To be honest, it'll be cheaper for me to meet my mum abroad than it is to travel home via train.'

In the past year, 12 per cent of trains arrived at terminating stations more than five minutes late for commuter services or ten minutes late for long-distance journeys.

The Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union described the fares announcement as 'another kick in the teeth' for passengers.

General secretary Mick Cash said: 'For public sector workers and many others in our communities who have had their pay and benefits capped or frozen by this Government, these fare increases are another twist of the economic knife. 

'The private train companies are laughing all the way to the bank.' 

Fewer than half (47 per cent) of passengers are satisfied with the value for money of train tickets, according to Transport Focus.  

A map of train prices across Europe has been put together by Vouchercloud, showing the price per mile of a journey and how Britain is sitting at the top of the table

Transport Focus chief executive Anthony Smith said today: 'A chill wind will blow down England's platforms in January as rail fare increases bite.

'Many passengers face stagnant or falling incomes while rail fares continue to climb. 

'It is time that the fairer, clearer Consumer Prices Index formula is used as the basis for rail fare rises rather than the increasingly outmoded Retail Price Index.

'While substantial, welcome investment in new trains and improved track and signals is continuing, passengers are still seeing the basic promises made by the rail industry broken on too many days. Passengers' immediate priorities are clear: a more reliable railway, better handling of disruption and better value for money.'

Alex Hayman, Which? managing director of public markets, added: 'This price hike will be another blow for passengers, many of whom continue to experience cancellations, delays, overcrowding and poor service from train companies.

The Rail Delivery Group said more than 97p in every pound from fares goes back into improving and running the railway

The Rail Delivery Group said that last year, private investment in rail - £925million - was the highest in a decade while government support for the rail industry was at a record low

'For passengers to genuinely get value for money, they must be able to find the best ticket for their journey, cheaper fares must not be hidden and compensation must be paid where it is owed.'

The most delayed train service in Britain was revealed in June to be the 7.34am Didcot Parkway to London Paddington, which has a 95 per cent chance of delay.

Someone commuting on that route and returning on a normal weekday has to buy a £62.40 anytime day return, which will rise by 3.5 per cent to £64.60 next month.

London Mayor Sadiq Khan said: 'Confirmation of yet another big hike in rail fares, caused by the Government's failure to act, will rightly leave Londoners furious.

'Passengers have faced a further year of delays, cancellations and overcrowding, and next year's increase, the biggest in five years, is a slap in the face for long-suffering commuters.'

Labour's shadow transport secretary Andy McDonald said: 'This latest increase in rail fares is staggering.

'Private rail companies continue to cash in while passengers and commuters have to cough up.

'The Tories should follow Labour's example and commit to ending the scandal of train companies being run for profit rather than people.'

Bringing franchises back into public ownership when current contracts expire is a key policy of Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn.

Caroline Lucas, co-leader of the Green Party, said the fare increase will be a 'body blow to hard-pressed passengers'.

She went on: 'Every year we see the privatised railways deliver ticket price increases, while the cost of driving continues to plummet in real terms.

'The Government needs to sort its priorities out. It's clearly time for publicly-owned railways.'

The Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union described the fares announcement as 'another kick in the teeth' for passengers

Fewer than half of passengers are satisfied with the value for money of train tickets (file image)

Mick Whelan, general secretary of train drivers' union Aslef, claimed passengers are 'paying the penalty fare for privatisation', which he described as a 'flawed and failing model that everyone in the rail industry can see doesn't work'.

He added: 'Hundreds of millions of pounds are haemorrhaging from our industry every year.'

Manuel Cortes, general secretary of the Transport Salaried Staffs Association, warned that rail users are being 'bled dry to ensure our private train companies stay in profit'.

He went on: 'This Tory Government is all about rail for the profiteering few.' 

The Government uses the previous July's Retail Prices Index measure of inflation to determine increases in regulated fares, which was 3.6 per cent. 

These are around half of all tickets and include season tickets on most commuter routes and some off-peak return tickets on long-distance journeys.

Train operating companies set the prices of other tickets but are bound by competition rules. 

There were 1.7 billion rail passenger journeys, more than 4.5 million a day, across Britain in 2016/2017. The price rises will come in from January 2. 

The RDG said more than 97p in every pound from fares goes back into improving and running the railway.  

Paul Plummer, chief executive of the Rail Delivery Group, said: 'Government controls increases to almost half of fares, including season tickets, with the rest heavily influenced by the payments train companies make to government. 

The Rail Delivery Group said that, looking at running costs, the railway is £2.2billion a year better off than when franchising began

'Alongside investment from the public and private sectors, money from fares is underpinning the partnership railway's long-term plan to change and improve. 

£85billion of additional economic benefits while enabling further investment and improved journeys for customers, better connections to boost local communities and a bright future for our employees.' 

But Hannah Maundrell, editor in chief of money.co.uk, said: 'Depressing news for commuters this morning - rail fares are already incredibly expensive and something has to be done to slow down the hikes.

'It's a really frustrating time for commuters, with strikes happening frequently and prices rising, it feels like people seem to be paying more but getting a worse service. 'With the worry of inflation and wages not keeping up, it isn't a good time to be a rail commuter.'

It has been the policy of successive governments to reduce the funding of the railways by taxpayers and increase the relative contribution of passengers.

Office of Rail and Road figures published in October showed that £4.2billion of taxpayers' cash went to the rail industry in 2016/17.

Taking inflation into account, this is down almost 13 per cent on the previous year but more than twice as much as British Rail used to get before the rail network was privatised.

But an RDG spokesman said that, looking at running costs, the railway is £2.2billion a year better off than when franchising began. 

In 1997, the railway as a whole operated at a £2billion-a-year deficit; but now runs a £200million surplus.

He added that all the money from the Government is going towards capital investment – building a bigger railway required by Britain. 

The RDG also highlighted that private investment in rail reached a record £925million in 2016/17.

A Department for Transport spokesman said the Government 'carefully monitors' how rail fares and average earnings change and keeps the way fares are increased under review.

She added: 'We are investing in the biggest rail modernisation programme for over a century to improve services for passengers - providing faster and better trains with more seats.

'We have always fairly balanced the cost of this investment between the taxpayer and the passenger and are driving the industry to improve efficiency so that we maximise the value of this investment in the railways.'