(C) Richard Haughey
Rail union RMT has hit out at Merseyrail for what it calls “blatant profiteering,” after the train operator announced it will charge passengers higher fares during the Aintree Grand National Festival.
From this week, customers travelling from Liverpool Central or Moorfields to Aintree will be charged £6 for a special “event ticket” instead of the usual £5.05 fare – an 18.9% increase. The change will be automatically applied unless customers specifically ask for the cheaper alternative.
This move comes as Merseyrail, which is jointly owned by Serco Group and Transport UK, recently posted record pre-tax profits of £43.9 million. Shareholders received a dividend payout of just over £42 million, raising further questions about the timing and justification for the price hike.
RMT General Secretary Eddie Dempsey strongly criticised the operator:
“Merseyrail’s decision to hike fares by nearly 19% during the Grand National Festival is blatant profiteering and punishes passengers simply for enjoying one of the country’s biggest sporting events.”
“At a time when Merseyrail is reaping record profits and funnelling millions to shareholders, it is totally unjustifiable to impose additional financial burdens on passengers.”
Dempsey also raised concerns over staff being instructed to sell the more expensive ticket as default, which contradicts standard rail industry practice where staff are required to offer the cheapest available fare.
“This exploitation of festival-goers underscores the need for Merseyrail to be taken into public ownership as soon as possible,” he added.
The Grand National Festival, held at Aintree, is expected to attract over 150,000 racegoers over the three days, with rail services playing a key role in moving the crowds to and from the racecourse. The fare hike has sparked backlash not just from the union, but also from passengers and campaigners who view it as an opportunistic cash grab.
Merseyrail has not yet issued a formal response to the criticism.
