With rail fares officially set to rise by an average of 5.9% from January, there are those who complain that this could mean some extortionately high prices.

Yet this will only be possible if train companies off-set this with much cheaper fares to provide an average rise of 5.9%. And compared to RPI + 3%, the original increase that was expected to be implemented on fares regulated by the Government, like season tickets and off-peak intercity returns, things could be a lot worse.

With so much investment planned to improve the capacity and reliability of the railway, higher fares are necessary to fund the benefits that will result.

However, it is often said that we have one of the most expensive railways in all of Europe, both for the passenger and the taxpayer. So what are they doing right that we are missing out on? And how can the industry ensure that efficiencies are being implemented in order to cut costs whilst improving services?

Of course the more that passengers pay, the lighter burden on the taxpayers. However, with increasing demand, the two groups are overlapping more and more, meaning that these ‘savings’ are not actually felt as such.