A GOVERNMENT minister has dismissed calls to investigate sky-high rail fares from Swindon – and advised travellers to book their tickets in advance instead.

Lord Adonis, the transport secretary, admitted that fares were “high” for passengers who had to travel at peak times. But he told the Advertiser there was no “pot of gold” to help operators lower prices. His comments followed a report by the Commons South West regional committee, published last week, which claimed that rail travel between Swindon and London was mile-by-mile the costliest in the continent.

Asked to comment on the report yesterday, Lord Adonis claimed some fares from Swindon were in fact among the lowest in Europe.

He said: “With rail fares it all depends on what you look at. A significant proportion of rail travellers travel off peak and on advanced tickets, and there is excellent value to be had on advanced tickets. We have some of the lowest fares in Europe on advanced tickets – including the Swindon to Paddington route.

“Standard fares are high for those who have to travel at peak times, but for those who can travel off peak and on advance tickets the price comes down.”

Asked whether he would be investigating whether fares could be lowered, the secretary of state said: “I am not in a position to put more subsidy into rail fares. I don’t have a pot of gold where I can further subsidise them.”