Rail workers' unions lobbied passengers and held a mass protest at stations across the region yesterday against the scale of hikes in train fares.
Commuters were handed protest Christmas cards, although the protests were not as widespread as the unions initially promised.
Despite an increased police presence at Swindon station in Wiltshire, no union protest appeared, but at Bristol Temple Meads and at Stroud, passengers were urged to join train workers to fight for more investment and lower fares.
A coalition of unions, including ASLEF, Unite, TSSA and the RMT, have joined the TUC's "Action for Rail" campaign, as figures showed train fares rising nearly three times faster than wages since the recession began.
But despite the increases, the region's travellers have faced regular delays and cancellations – a fortnight ago, the boss of First Great Western apologised for lengthy delays even though the problems were almost all exclusively down to Network Rail rather than FGW itself.
And while the protest ran yesterday there were even more problems, with delays and cancellations caused by technical difficulties on the line between Westbury and Warminster in Wiltshire.
"Train fares have massively outstripped wages and inflation, even during the recession," said the chair of Action for Rail, Frances O'Grady, who is the TUC's General Secretary Designate.
"Train operating companies seem to have completely ignored the fact that real-term incomes and living standards have fallen and have ploughed ahead with eye-watering price-hikes.
However, many commuters have seen some fares increasing by as much as 10 per cent per year.
"Today's protests should act as an urgent wake-up call to ministers.
"Our current privatised system, which is costing taxpayers a staggering £1.2bn a year, may be a wonderful Christmas present for train companies but is a huge squeeze on the public purse and commuters."
But a spokesman for the Association of Train Operating Companies said the rises were necessary, and were largely forced on them by the Government, to help pay for investment in the rail infrastructure.
"The average increase for all fares in the new year will be 3.9 per cent. Fare rises are determined largely by Government policy, and the Chancellor confirmed the Government's approach for next year in the Autumn Statement," he said.
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