What's the Future of Train Opera

来源：https://www.telegraph,co.uk/（英语一）

How can the train operators possibly justify yet another increase to rail passenger fares?

火车运营商如何才能证明抬高铁路旅客票价是合理的？

It has become a grimly reliable annual ritual: every January the cost of traveling by train rises, imposing a significant extra burden on those who have no option but to use the rail network to get to work or otherwise.

每年一月份的火车票，都会给那些别无选择，只能利用铁路或其他方式上班的人们带来沉重的负担，这已成为一种非常固定的年度惯例。

This year's rise, an average of 2.7 percent, maybe a fraction lower than last year's, but it is still well above the official Consumer Price Index ( CPI ) measure of inflation.

今年的票价的平均涨幅为 2.7%，可能比去年低了一点，但这仍高于以通货膨胀为衡量指标的官方消费者物价指数（CPI）.

Successive governments have permitted such increases on the grounds that the cost of investing in and running the rail network should be borne by those who use it, rather than the general taxpayer.

历届政府都允许这种增长，理由是投资和运营铁路的成本应由铁路的使用者而不是一般纳税人承担。

Why, the argument goes, should a car-driving pensioner from Lincolnshire have to subsidize the daily commute of a stockbroker from Surrey?

这是为什么呢？反对者认为，是不是一个在林肯郡开车出行的纳税人就应该承担来自萨里的股票经纪人的日常通勤呢？

Equally, there is a sense that the travails of commuters in the South East, many of whom will face among the biggest rises, have received too much attention compared to those who must endure the relatively poor infrastructure of the Midlands and the North.

同样，从某种意义上来说，相比于那些必须忍受中部和北部落后基础设施的人来说，居住在东南部的通勤者（其中大部分人将面临最大程度的涨幅）则受到了更多的关注。

However, over the past 12 months, those commuters have also experienced some of the worst rail strikes in years. It is all very well train operators trumpeting the improvements they are making to the network, but passengers should be able to expect a basic level of service for the substantial sums they are now paying to travel.

但是，在过去的12个月中，这些通勤者还遭遇了几年来最严重的铁路罢工。火车运营商都在大力鼓吹自己为改善铁路网络所采取的措施，但乘客期望得到与他们现在花重金得来的基本服务水平。

The responsibility for the lastest wave of strikes rests on the unions. However, there is a strong case that those who have been worst affected by industrial action should receive compensation for the disruption they have suffered.

工会促成了最新一波的罢工。但是，一个强有力的案例表明，受工业行动影响最严重的人应该因其所遭受的损失而获得赔偿。

The Government has pledged to change the law to introduce a minimun service requirement so that, even when strikes occur, services can continue to operate. This should form part of a wider package of measures to address the long-running problems on Britain's railways.

政府已承诺通过修改法律来规定最低服务标准，这样，即使再发生罢工事件，铁路的运营也可以继续。这应该可以形成更全面的措施来解决英国铁路长期存在的弊端。

Yes, more investment is needed, but passengers will not be willing to pay more indefinitely if they must also endure cramped, unreliable services, punctuated by regular chaos when timetables are changed, or planned maintenance is managed incompetently.

是的，这需要更多的投资，但是如果乘客们还要忍受局促又不可靠的服务，有时候因为通车时间改变或者没有按计划进行维护，打乱了他们的通勤，在这种情况下，他们将不愿意一直付更多的费用。

The threat of nationalization may have been seen off for now, but it will return with a vengeance if the justified anger of passengers is not addressed in short order.

国有化的威胁可能会暂时消失，但是如果不及时解决乘客的正当愤怒，将来这种威胁就会卷土重来。