Rail services need to be hugely improved in Spalding to justify any major increase in fares, according to the chairman of a local user group.
George Scott, of the Spalding and Peterborough Transport Forum, said the price hikes announced this week were not helping economic development in the area.
“We have two cathedral cities in Peterborough and Lincoln and you can’t get a train from Spalding to Lincoln before 9am. The last one comes back at 4pm so commuters cannot use it at all,” he said.
Price rises of up to 3.6 per cent were announced nationally on Tuesday and will be based on the Retail Price Index figure for July.
“We will have a new franchise from 2019 and we need investment in this area which has such rapid growth in population,” said Mr Scott.
