Rail firm doubles fare dodge fine

Racegoers are urged to allow more time for their journey

Penalty fines against fare dodgers on Merseyrail are to double next month.

The train operator brought in the fines last August for people caught travelling without a ticket on the Northern and Wirral lines.

It says the fines cut anti-social behaviour as research shows fare dodgers often attack staff, create disorder or commit vandalism.

The penalty fare is to rise to £20 on 12 June to bring it into line with other transport operators.

Merseyrail says together with the installation of electronic gates at the six busiest stations, the introduction of penalty fares has cut ticketless travel, assaults and incidents of anti-social behaviour by more than 50%.

The cash collected will be spent on further security measures such as increased use of security guards and extra CCTV cameras.

"I want passengers who travel on our trains to pay for their journeys; the vast majority of our passengers are honest and they should not be subsidising the dishonest ones."