A GROUP of rail users in Abergavenny have said they are paying almost twice as much as travellers elsewhere in South Wales for trips of similar lengths.

A day return between Cardiff and Abergavenny - a 38-minute trip - currently costs £15.20, and is due to increase to £15.63 on Thursday, January 2.

But this is almost twice as much as a day return between Cardiff Central and Ebbw Vale, Maesteg, or Merthyr Tydfil, which is currently £8.40 for a journey of up to 65 minutes.

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And these fares are due to go down by up to 10 per cent next month as Transport for Wales (TfW) slashes prices for routes between 33 stations in the Cardiff and Valleys network and the capital.

And now a group of commuters from Abergavenny have blasted the disparity, branding it "unfair".

Anna Roberts, who has organised the Abergavenny group, said a representative from TfW had already met with the group to hear their concerns.

“We were really pleased that they responded in this way and we heard a lot about plans for improving Abergavenny station and the network in general which was encouraging,” she said. “But [the TfW rep] said that the price difference between fares from Abergavenny and other commuter towns is largely historic and is something they’ve inherited.

“This makes us all the more determined to keep lobbying Transport for Wales to get some parity and fairness."

A TfW spokesman said fares across Britain were set according to a range of factors - not just the distance of the journeys.

“We have strived to reduce fares wherever possible, with an overall weighted reduction of -1.12 per cent on fares across our network," he added.

He added customers in Abergavenny would be able to buy on-the-day advanced tickets, for the first time, from January.

In the Gwent region, the firm's plans to cut fares between 33 valleys stations and Cardiff is open to passengers in Ebbw Vale (town and parkway), Llanhilleth, and Newbridge.