Britain's rail passengers pay 50% more for single train journeys than the rest of Europe (and that's ahead of next month's 3.4% hike)

Online savings company Vouchercloud compared rail prices across Europe
British passengers pay on average 50p per mile for a single rail journey
Passengers in Austria pay 33p while in Latvia they only pay just 5p a mile
British passengers will be forced to pay an extra 3.4 per cent more in January

By Darren Boyle for MailOnline

Published: 19:34 GMT, 9 December 2017 | Updated: 12:03 GMT, 10 December 2017

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Rail users in Britain are paying 50 per cent more per mile than throughout most of Europe, a new survey has revealed.

According to researchers, travellers in Britain pay on average 50p per mile compared with just 5p in Latvia.

Austrian train users pay on average 33p with those in France, Holland and Switzerland paying between 28p-31p.

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British rail users pay on average double the price per mile for a single ticket compared to most Europeans according to new analysis comparing prices across more than 20 countries

Vouchercloud found British users pay around 50p per mile compared to 5p per mile in Latvia

British rail passengers will see ticket prices rocket by a further 3.4 per cent in January

The survey comparing train prices was conducted by online savings company Vouchercloud

On January 2, 2018, Britain's hard-pressed commuters will see their fares jump on average by 3.4 per cent - the largest increase since 2013.

Train companies were granted their wallet-busting increases as a result of a dramatic three per cent rise in the Consumer Price Index.

The dramatic price hike was announced by the Rail Delivery Group which will see many season tickets increasing in price by more than £100. Someone living in Theresa May's Maidenhead constituency travelling to London will now pay more than £3,000 for the first time.

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.

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

Chief executive Paul Plummer noted the Government controls increases to almost half of fares while the rest are 'heavily influenced' by the payments train companies make as part of contracts to run franchises.

British rail passengers do slightly better when it comes to buying a return ticket

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

The trans-European survey was conducted by Vouchercloud. They compared the price of a train trip from a number EU capital cities to a station 50 miles away. Also, the researchers compared the price of a single ticket purchased on the day of travel.

However, the researchers found that when compared with the price of a return ticket, Britain drops down to sixth place with an average price per mile of 25p.

Chris Johnson, head of operations at Vouchercloud said: 'An average price increase of 3.4 per cent across the rail network is not a huge amount in and of itself.

'However, when we actually have numbers that show our train prices are already the most expensive across the whole of Europe on a consistent basis, it tells a whole different story.

'The very least we can expect is an improvement in service and reduction in delays and cancellations – and if that doesn’t happen again this year, then we’re justifiable in our complaints that a once proud, still hugely important transport network here in the UK is holding commuters hostage.'