Rail revenues at FirstGroup surge

Soaring oil prices are prompting people to ditch their cars and to holiday in the UK, FirstGroup, which runs the FirstGreat Western and ScotRail train services said yesterday.

Its like-for-like rail passenger revenues rose 8.5 per cent in the first quarter, despite a 6.2 per cent rise in fares in January. In comparison, petrol prices have risen 15 per cent in the past year.