Commenting on "Reforming our Railways: Putting the Customer First" published today, Liberal Democrat Parliamentary Transport Committee member, Simon Wright said:

"These proposals deliver on Liberal Democrat priorities by putting the passenger at the heart of the system and allowing investment in the long term future of the railways.

"For too long the railways relied on ever increasing public subsidy, yet under Labour, train fares rocketed by an astonishing 66% in cash terms.

"The Coalition Government's proposals set out how we can drive down ticket costs by improving efficiency across the network, and work towards the Lib Dem policy of ending above inflation hikes to train fares.

"Liberal Democrats have long championed many of the proposals in this paper including expanding rail electrification, devolution of control over railways, increasing the role of Passenger Focus, and more freight transported by rail."

The Liberal Democrat policy paper Fast Track Britain: Building a Transport System for the 21st Century, passed by the party in 2008, stated that the Party would "Encourage integrated smart ticketing, multi-modal and multi-operator tickets under the ITSO smart-card system".

3. The paper also stressed the benefits of electrification. Labour electrified 39 miles during their 13 years - the Coalition will electrify over 800 miles, with another 130 in the pipeline.