Rush hour rail commuters are to be encouraged to spread their journey times with the offer of cheaper travel.

The move follows a proposal by the former Strategic Rail Authority to raise peak rush hour fares, which was fiercely resisted by Centro and local councillors on the policy-setting Passenger Transport Authority earlier in the year.

“Rail travel makes a significant contribution to cutting congestion in the West Midlands, so the idea of putting up fares certainly did not fit in with our idea of an integrated transport policy,” says PTA chairman Cllr Gary Clarke.  “We have consistently said that the way of dealing with passenger growth is to invest in the rail network, not to try and price people off the trains and back into their cars.”

Passenger growth in the region has been higher than in London and the South East, with one in five Birmingham commuters now choosing to travel by train.

The PTA is due to consider a regular report on setting West Midlands rail fares at a committee meeting on Monday 5 September.

While most rail fares are set to increase by a Government guideline of inflation plus one per cent, Centro says it wants to start talks with the Department for Transport for a smaller rise in local off-peak fares.  The West Midlands public transport promoter also intends to work with train operators to make travel cheaper in the 'shoulder peak' either side of the peak rush hour.

In its report to councillors, Centro acknowledges that the concentration of passenger numbers into a relatively short period at the height of the rush hour causes problems of overcrowding and increases rail industry costs.  “If passengers could be encouraged to spread their journeys by travelling either earlier or later where spare capacity exists on services, then this would be highly beneficial, and would encourage greater rail use,” says Centro services director Robert Smith.

Following suggestions put forward in the SRA’s West Midlands Route Utilisation Strategy and local opposition to ‘pricing off’ demand with peak fare increases, Department for Transport policy now recommends an Early Bird season ticket to encourage passengers to travel early in the morning peak, and bringing forward the start of off-peak fares from 9.30 to 9.00am.

PTA councillors are expected to agree their executive body Centro working up proposals with the Government and train operators with the aim that these could come into effect sometime next year.