Conservatives vow rail fares freeze in "unbelievable" pledge as transport takes centre stage

The Conservatives today promise a five-year real-terms freeze in regulated rail fares as transport takes centre stage in the election campaign.

The Prime Minister David Cameron said extending the cap on fare rises to the level of inflation throughout the next Parliament would save an average rail commuter £400 between now and 2020. The announcement comes the day after the Conservatives challenged Labour to rule out a rise in fuel duty after a freeze over the majority of the years of the outgoing Parliament.

But Labour said the rail fares pledge was "unfunded, uncosted and... totally unbelievable" and the Lib Dems said that in Government the Conservatives had "repeatedly argued for raising rail fares by well above inflation and we fought to keep rises to a minimum".

The move shows that Labour, which has attempted to make the main transport issue the cost of fares, and not the need for improvements, is setting the transport agenda. The Conservatives have to date focused more on improvements, with transport secretary Patrick McLoughlin pledging to "rebuild Britain" with transport infrastructure upgrades. 

The minor parties have also joined the fray - the Green Party has pledged to cut rail fares by 10%, and UKIP has vowed to slash fuel duty.