COMMUTERS are set to feel the pinch of added costs of as much as £150 when new fare increases come into effect next year.

On Wednesday, August 15, the government announced it will be increasing regulated rail fares by up to 3.2 per cent from January.

Andover commuters will feel the effects of this rise, with the cost of a standard annual season ticket to London Waterloo potentially increasing by as much as £153, which would bring the total to £4,937 per year.

South Western Railway (SWR), which operates the service through Andover, has already this year come under fire as figures revealed almost half of its trains, 47 per cent, run late.

Earlier this year the government, ordered an urgent independent review to be carried out after months of delays and cancellations across the service.

Residents have been left angered after the news was announced, with many questioning their continued use of the service.

Grant Fraser, 52, who was taking the train to London with his family for a day out this week, said: “It’s overpriced for a service that isn’t fit for purpose at all.

“They can’t run on time, they’re over crowded, there’s no service on the trains, when you get on the trains you don’t even get a seat most of the time. Somebody sort of needs to get their act together and shake the place down really.

“In a way the people like me who aren’t commuters, they have got you by the proverbials because you have to use the service, but yeah vastly overpriced for what you get.”

One commuter, who wished to remain anonymous, said: “I think it would affect everyone.

“I think it depends how often you use the trains as well. I think more people are perhaps going to start just driving again.

“Depending on the costs I might go back to using the car I think. It just depends on the cost benefit.

“I quite like getting the train because I can work on the train, but if it’s going to increase weekly costs I’m actually just better off using the car then.

“I don’t think anyone’s going to be happy with it.”

Other users of the service were adamant an increase in price would not change their decision to use train travel.

Sam Hewetson-Evans, 39, who uses the service from Andover weekly, said: “I’m not particularly fussed.

“I only travel up to London once a week and I don’t think the 3.2 per cent is going to make a massive impact to that.

“I have to say that the service I get is exemplary. The train’s always on time, very rarely is it late anyway.

“I can only think of one time it was late, that I’ve travelled up on this line.

“At peak times they are obviously pretty good.”