A PILATES teacher who commutes to London from Bradford on Avon has been forced to find a different route, after the advance fare on her usual train journey rose by 131 per cent.

Tania Tempest-Hay, 55, said: “I usually travel on the direct train from Bradford to London Waterloo and get off at Clapham Junction.

“I work in London from Monday to Thursday and then come home. I could book the tickets for South West Trains weeks ahead, using the advance fares.”

Now South Western Railway, the new franchise operator of the South West Trains service, have hiked the ticket price by 131 per cent from £14.80 to £34.30, with no advance fare on offer.

Tania, of Winsley Road, Bradford on Avon, said: “I was gobsmacked when I found out. I was in a bit of panic as I don’t earn very much and this makes it completely unviable.

“I have been forced to search for cheap tickets on other routes and eventually found an £8 advance ticket on the route from Bath Spa to London Paddington.”

The price rise comes as Wiltshire rail passengers are seeing the biggest increase in fares in five years.

South Western Railway has introduced an average 3.3 per cent rise while Great Western Railway has increased its fares by an average of 3.1 per cent.

Many passengers have condemned the increases, with some saying it could make regular travel to work on the railway financially prohibitive.

Roger Newman, chairman of the West Wiltshire Rail Users Group, said some passengers may have little or no option but to continue travelling by rail.

“So many people are tied to travelling by train and have very little alternative,” he said.