Prepare to pay more for train travel

Train fares are set to increase yet again for Wairarapa commuters.

The costs for monthly passes, 10-trip tickets and smartcards will increase by around 2.5 per cent by October this year.

This means it will cost $3.50 more for a person using a ten trip ticket from Masterton to Wellington - $144 instead of $140.50.

Using a monthly pass for the same trip will go up by $10.50.

Most cash fares remain unchanged, however a person travelling from Featherston to Lower Hutt through eight zones, would have to pay 50 cents more.

Travelling 11 zones from Masterton to Petone would also cost 50 cents more.

Last year, fares went up by 3 per cent and 5 per cent the year before.

Greater Wellington Regional Council, which sets the fares, is currently reviewing the way fares are structured.

The Fare Structure Review looks at how fares are charged, whether new concession fares are needed, which types of products are preferred and the level of discounts offered to particular groups.

Under the current fare structure, Wairarapa travellers tend to pay more for a 50km trip length than Kapiti users.

Weekend family bus and train passes, half price fares for all young people under 19 years, free transfers and cheaper off peak fares, are some of the proposed changes.