Transport secretary Heidi Alexander has written to train operators in ‘full support’ of the conclusions of a recent Office of Rail and Road report on how TOCs deal with passengers who try to evade paying fares.

The ORR published the results of a government-commissioned review into enforcement in June this year.

It had called for improvements to revenue protection, so that it becomes more consistent and fairer, as well as effective.

There have been many reports of heavy-handed incidents. For example, a young passenger accidentally chose the wrong railcard when buying a ticket from a machine, and although the discount was the same and she could produce her valid railcard, she was penalised by an inspector.

The ORR uncovered ‘significant inconsistency’ in revenue protection methods, and said passengers are treated very differently by various operators.

One major problem is that passengers can be confused by the complexity of the rules, while many do not understand their rights if they are accused of fraud.

Heidi Alexander told the operators: ‘Your staff are at the heart of efforts to protect revenue. They act with the utmost professionalism in what can be difficult circumstances. Yet, to maintain the integrity of our railway, and ensure we treat passengers fairly, I’m clear that any enforcement must be proportionate and not punish those making genuine mistakes.’

She continued: ‘Thirty years of privatisation have left our railways fragmented, inefficient and broken. Revenue protection practices are inconsistent, and the complexities of the current fares and ticketing system have increased the scope for passenger confusion and error.’

Ms Alexander also hinted that individual train operators, even those which are publicly owned, are not expected to survive in the longer term, saying: ‘We are overhauling the complex fares and ticketing system to make it easier for passengers to understand, so they can trust they are buying the right ticket and getting the best fare for their journey. The replacement of individual train operators with Great British Railways will also enable passengers to receive a more consistent offer.’

She added that the fares, ticketing and retail team is now coordinating the Department for Transport’s response to the ORR review, and that the Rail Delivery Group is also working on ‘several projects’. An update from the DfT will follow.

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