SO THE Government has agreed that train companies can increase their fares by an average of eight per cent.

Trains are full to capacity and severely overcrowded. I would hope that companies would pay for extra carriages on main lines and improve punctuality.

I travelled from Bournemouth to Oxford recently, and there were only four carriages. The train was a ‘Cross-Country’ to Manchester and many people were forced to stand for the whole journey.

Rather than invest in the high speed railway from London to Birmingham they should concentrate on improving existing services.

It is not fair that Oxford to London commuters should be forced to stand, despite paying for a very expensive season ticket. Train companies should think again. JANE REEVE Cowley Road Oxford