Britain’s rail companies are ripping off their customers. That was the damning verdict of the House of Commons Transport committee in a scathing report published yesterday. MPs condemned high fares and a bewildering choice of ticket types.

It’s hard to quarrel with that view. An open standard class return ticket from London to Leeds now costs a staggering £165. True, cheaper options are available – sometimes. But if you buy one and miss your chosen train, the original ticket is worthless – and you risk being treated as a criminal, as the Guardian reported recently. (http://www.guardian.co.uk/transport/Story/0,,1758560,00.html)

It cannot be right for Britain’s privatised railways – which receive a bigger subsidy than the nationalised British Rail – to copy the strong-arm tactics of low cost airlines like Ryanair. Let’s hope the Government takes action.