THE Rail Passengers' Council claimed passengers were paying for the industry's failure to control the soaring costs of modernisation programmes and maintenance work.

The rises were announced in the same week it was revealed by the SRA that rail passengers were facing higher fares and reduced services, despite worsening punctuality.

It found 20 per cent of trains ran late and that complaints were up eight per cent this year.

Anthony Smith, national secretary of the RPC, said: "This is a bleak day for passengers.

"We have always said that there should be no above-inflation fare rises until performance on the railway has improved.

"But at the moment the industry is not delivering the timetable and industry costs are soaring.

"They should only come back to the passengers and ask for more money when they have put their own house in order.

"They are picking on passengers who will be angry, dismayed and confused today as to what is happening.

"Passengers believe performance is not where it ought to be and we shall be sending a very strong message to Government that putting fares up is not the right way to get more passengers on the railway.

"We need a proper national rail card and measures to attract more off-peak passengers. The industry should not be milking the captive passengers."

A Opinion Research Business poll showed that a majority of 39 per cent of people think tax payers and passengers should share the burden of funding the rail network equally.