A SWINDON councillor has called for changes to rail fares - as new figures reveal a 20 per cent hike in the cost of tickets over the last two decades.

Dale Heenan, councillor for Covingham and Dorcan ward, wants to see a slew of measures to help tackle high rail fares.

They include payment by direct debit and use of the consumer price index to calculate inflation of prices - a method proposed by rail campaigners that they say would keep ticket costs down.

Coun Heenan said: “There has been significant improvements in the rail network over the last 25 years, more passengers than ever are using rail, electrification is on the way and people are paying closer to the true cost of travel rather than government topping up every journey with subsidies so prices will be higher. However everything is not rosy.

“Also, a transparent charging system should be introduced that removes hidden anomalies, such as Reading rail prices being half the cost of Swindon rail prices - despite Swindon being 35 miles and two stops down the track.”

His comments came as the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) released official statistics, showing that there has been a 20.5 per cent real terms increase in rail fares since 1995.

Between January 2017 and January 2018, rail fares increased by 2.9 per cent on average, the ORR said.

A spokeswoman for the industry umbrella organisation the Rail Delivery Group said that around 97 per cent of money from fares goes into running and improving the railway.

"Alongside investment from the public and private sectors, money from passengers is underpinning the industry’s long-term plan which will deliver £85bn of additional economic benefits for the country by changing and improving the railway," she added.