With protests and a campaign to inform the Treasury of exactly how the increases were affecting individual passengers, people are demonstrating their opposition to the 6% fare rise this week.

With the prospect of additional increases on unregulated fares in May and September, passengers have all the more reason to express their discontent with this policy.

Although the increase was less than the expected 8%, it will still mean that the railways become too expensive for some.

To improve the railways, the Government needs passengers, and it is their money that funds large projects and upgrades. Yet if this cost is too high, then there could be less demand than supply.

With the most expensive railway in Europe, the industry must be sure that the benefits they seek to fund are worth the cost.