Rail fares do certainly force passengers to act in strange ways at the moment – but there is no sign that any government reforms will make the situation any less ‘perverse’.

Nobody likes empty trains, but it surely misunderstands passenger behaviour to think altering the fare structure alone can possibly relieve overcrowded services and fill up empty ones.

Too many people need to travel at peak times: if they are priced off peak trains, relatively few will choose or be able to take one in the middle of the day instead. They will find an alternative form of transport or give up on the journey altogether. Nobody wins from that, except the richer passengers who get slightly more elbow room, although a significantly lighter wallet.

There must be ways to address the overall cost of rail without further restricting travel at worthwhile times to a well-heeled elite. Plans for expensive season-ticket-only trains with fewer staff – suggested by leaked documents from the McNulty review workshops – are hardly indicative of an industry wanting to improve things for passengers.