TRAIN commuters have attacked First Great Western’s “unfair” ticket prices from Swindon to London – which are now the highest in Europe.

The comments come two days after the Adver published details of a parliamentary report describing Swindon’s 70p a mile tickets as “significantly hindering” the town’s economic development.

At Swindon station yesterday just before 8am, travellers complained of the fares hitting their pockets more than anything else.

According to the report, the cost of a standard-class Anytime Single between Swindon and London is £54.50, which rises to £89.50 in first class – double the price of trips from Southampton and Portsmouth to the capital.

Jane Narraway, 45, a nurse from Great Western Hospital, said she spent £115 to take the 7.45am train from Swindon to King’s Cross, despite buying the ticket two weeks ago.

She said: “I had to go to an essential course in London as part of my new role, so the NHS is paying for this.

“But it is outrageous. I have had to book a night in London because it is cheaper to get a hotel room than to return on a FGW train on the same day.

“I know that the trip is a lot cheaper from Didcot and Slough, everyone seems to know sneaky ways to get around Swindon’s expensive fares.

“It seems that FGW is punishing us for living in Swindon, it also means that ordinary people can’t get jobs in London, and it is certainly not good for the environment.”

A number of commuters who live on the outskirts of Swindon said they avoid the station like the plague because “everyone knows the town has the highest prices”.

Jon Cannon, a writer from outside Marlborough, said he was forced to take the 7.45am to London yesterday morning because he had no other choice.

He said: “The same ticket in Hungerford is £40, while in Swindon it is £106.

“I think that trains are part of the infrastructure of the country and if they are being managed this poorly the Government has to step in, this is a rip-off.”

Meanwhile Mandar Thakare, 31, a mechanical engineer for, said he thought fares were being doubled by the company and reckoned they should be similar to those of neighbouring towns.

The MPs’ report, Transport in the South West, also notes that while there has recently been a “small reduction” in Government regulated fares – including season and saver tickets – this has been “more than offset by hefty increases” to other fares in the region.

A spokesman for the company said: “We do not calculate fares on distance alone.

“A number of variables including the type and speed of the train and customer demand are taken into account.

“For the purposes of fares regulation, Reading falls within the London and South East region, set by the Department for Transport.

“Swindon is not within this boundary and is subject to different regulation on its fares.

“The committee’s report has provided a valuable contribution to the debate on how we address some of the transport challenges.

“We look forward to working with the Committee, Department for Transport and local authorities to discuss the issues raised.”

He added that the company did not believe 70p per mile was the highest comparable fare anywhere in Europe.