THE Labour candidate for Carlisle has blasted the recent rise in train fares as ‘savage’ and a ‘sick joke’ in a blistering attack.

Passengers across the country have seen ticket prices rise by 5.9 per cent, which is the biggest hike in a decade, but the government has defended the rise, saying that it is ‘well below inflation’.

The cost-of-living crisis has been driven by a sharp rise in inflation which currently stands at over 10 per cent.

The rise comes after January data from the Office of Rail and Road data found that the cancellations score for all operators was 8 per cent, was double the proportion from the previous period.

Avanti West Coast, which serves Carlisle, cancelled the equivalent of about one in five services and registered a cancellation score of 18.9 per cent - one of the highest figures recorded for any operator in records dating back to April 2014.

“Carlisle is a proud railway city, but local people are paying a high price for thirteen years of Tory rail failure,” said Labour candidate Julie Minns.

“Eye watering energy prices, spiralling food costs and now bank breaking rail fares are symptomatic of an out of touch, out of control government.

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“This savage fare hike is a sick joke for local people reliant on crumbling services. Labour will hand power and control to communities, and invest in infrastructure fit for the century ahead, driving jobs and growth across Cumbria.”

Rail minister Hum Merriman said: “I understand it has been a difficult year and people are feeling the pinch which is why – through the biggest ever government intervention – we capped the rise well below inflation and delayed it coming into force.”

Regular rail passengers have also had services interrupted by months of strike action by rail workers in their disputes with rail companies over pay and working conditions.

Hopes for an end of the dispute had been raised when the smaller TSSA rail union accepted a pay deal but talks between the RMT and the rail delivery group have yet to make a breakthrough.

Workers have been offered a pay rise of 5 per cent for 2022/23 and 4 per cent for 2023/4, in exchange for changes to working practices.