by Rupert Janisch

Rail passengers in Bristol face increased ticket prices in the New Year, with some fares rising at more than double the rate of inflation.

Train fares will rise from between six per cent and 11 per cent from January 2.

Those that rise by six per cent are season tickets and peak time travel, known as regulated tickets, with First Great Western, South West Trains and Cross Country.

And journeys which rise by up to 11 per cent will be advance and off-peak tickets, known as unregulated tickets, with Cross Country.

Regulated tickets are fares which can only be increased by the rate of inflation, plus one per cent.

Unregulated fares are those which can be determined by train operating firms.

Cross Country will increase unregulated fares by 11 per cent. First Great Western will increase fares by 6.6 per cent, and South West Trains by 7.2 per cent.

All three train companies defended the fare increases, saying they were needed for investment in improving the railways.

Dan Panes of First Great Western, which operates the Bristol Temple Meads to Paddington line, and local services, said: "It reflects the climate we are in, regarding rising running costs, but it also helps us make the improvements we need.

"We have worked hard to make these increases as reasonable as possible - they are below average across the industry as a while and we have tried to make sure that they are as low as we can make them for our passengers."

Gilly White, spokeswoman for CrossCountry trains, which runs trains through Bristol from Cardiff and Penzance to Birmingham, Manchester, Glasgow and Aberdeen, said: "These changes are necessary to allow us to continue investing in a better travel experience for our customers.

"By 2009 we will have provided over 4,000 more seats on our trains (the equivalent of 21 extra trains), introduced state-of-the-art technology to provide customers with better access to information and the cheapest available ticket for their journey, and be providing a significantly improved onboard catering and service.

"From the outset, the CrossCountry franchise was granted on the basis of reducing the taxpayer's contribution and these changes will support the government's policy of reducing the Department for Transport's financial support to the franchise.

"This support reduces from £238 million in the year April 2008 to March 2009 to only £5 million by 2016, establishing an almost entirely commercial franchise."

Lisa Basham, spokeswoman for South West Trains, which operates the service from Bristol Temple Meads to London Waterloo, said: "It is in our interest to set unregulated fares which we believe represent good value for money.

"For instance lead in advance purchase fares remain unchanged and there are many savings to be had with railcards, advance tickets and other promotions.

"South West Trains continues to invest including £3.5 million on station improvements last year, £1.8 million on security guards, £12 million overall on ticket machines and car park expansions."

Announcing today's rises, the Association of Train Operating Companies (Atoc) said the increased revenue would help pay for major investment to improve the railways and deliver better value for taxpayers.

Chief executive Michael Roberts said: "Passengers in recent years have helped pay for 20 per cent more services, and performance in the first half of this year is at the highest level since records began, with more than 90 per cent of trains arriving on time.

"Yet, since 1996, in real terms, overall rail fares have risen by just 5 per cent and standard-class regulated fares are actually lower than they were in the year before privatisation.

"Record performance and better services have contributed to the highest number of passengers travelling by rail for 60 years.

"The January fare changes mean that train companies can continue investing in an even better railway and still offer a range of good deals for customers.

"More than 80 per cent of rail journeys are made using either a price-regulated or discounted ticket.

"And with the real costs of motoring up by over 25 per cent since 1996, rail will continue to be an attractive option for millions of people every day."