Season Ticket Prices to Go Up by 8%

The government today confirmed the July RPI figure of 5%.  Season ticket prices are set to go up by RPI + 3 which means an increase of 8% in January.

National Express Profits Increase

National Express has seen profits from its regional rail operations rise by £11m this year.  The group which runs trains on the C2C franchise out of Fenchurch Street as well as the NXEA operation said operating profits from its UK rail division rose from £16.1m in the first half of 2010 to £27.1m in the first six months of this year.

The group credited the tight control of costs, the “relatively stronger economies of London and the South East”, and increasing rail revenues - up by 8pc to £335.1m - for the rise in profits.

NXEA Launch iPhone App

National Express East Anglia NXEA has launched an iPhone App to enable passengers to check for up to date information whilst on the move.  The application shows the same 'rainbow board' that is on the NXEA website and users can drill down for further information.

The App is available free of charge via iTunes.

Southend Airport Station Opens

Today at last sees the opening of a new station serving Southend Airport.  Although the station has been ready for sometime, red tape has delayed the official opening.  Interestingly, despite the station opening today there is no mention of it on the NXEA website and it appears that you cannot buy tickets online that serve the station.

ERUF Committee Meet With Essex MPs

Members of the ERUF committee met up with four Essex MPs last night at Westminster to discuss the letting of the new Greater Anglia franchise.  These were Priti Patel, Sir Alan Haselhurst, Bob Russell and Brooks Newmark.

The ERUF committee were anxious to convey a message to the government that we did not want a repeat of the underfunded National Express franchise which has resulted in some of the lowest passenger satisfaction levels in the country.   Essex rail services are some of the most profitable in the country so rail users deserve a much better service than they are currently getting.

ERUF committee members have already met with representatives of the three companies bidding for the franchise to replace National Express East Anglia, to highlight the areas where passengers expect to see improvements.

Passengers Dissatisfied With Train Punctuality And Value For Money

The number of passengers in the UK satisfied with train punctuality and reliability has gone down with National Express East Anglia (NXEA) second from bottom out of all UK train companies.  Satisfaction overall has dropped from 82% to 80% with NXEA scoring 78%. Hull Trains came top with an overall satisfaction level of 95%.

The survey was carried out by Passenger Focus and involved more than 32,000 passengers across the country.

Services Disrupted By Heat

Network Rail and National Express East Anglia are warning of cancellations and disruption due to the hot weather affecting the overhead wires.  Passengers are advised to check the National Express website for updates before travelling.