COLCHESTER’S MP will meet with rail bosses after the latest hike in ticket prices for commuters.

Greater Anglia customers will now be paying around 2.6 per cent more for season tickets, singles and returns.

Annual season tickets between Colchester and London Liverpool Street have risen from £5,264 to £5,412 per year.

MP Will Quince says he has met with Rail Minister Andrew Jones and contacted operator Greater Anglia.

Mr Quince said: “I have asked Greater Anglia to organise a meeting including all of the MPs from across the area.

“Most people who commute or use the trains just want value for money. They are not getting that at the moment.

“We know there are more people using the railways but fewer people are buying season tickets.

“People are avoiding travelling every day or finding other ways of getting into London. Greater Anglia needs to recognise there is a tipping point between what people are prepared to pay and the quality of the service they receive.

“If commuters feel they are not getting value for money they will vote with their feet.”

Councillor Lee Scordis has called on the MP to do more for long-suffering commuters.

He said: “It’s now the tenth consecutive year commuters in Colchester have faced a price rise with train tickets rising significantly faster than wages. At the same time the service we are offered has not improved.”

Greater Anglia said 98p in every £1 spent on tickets goes back into the railway for running costs and investment.

A spokesperson said the firm would respond to Mr Quince’s letter in due course.

“Average annual punctuality on the Great Eastern Mainline, which includes Colchester to Liverpool Street, is just under 92 per cent,” he said.

“This week our new trains have started running from Colchester as our first new intercity train has just entered passenger service.

“In the last year we have also invested in Colchester station, re-tarmacking platforms and installing a water fountain.

“The increase applies to government regulated fares, such as season tickets and anytime singles and returns. We need to apply this increase, as many of our costs will increase by at least 2.8 per cent in line with inflation.”