BY JACK WELCH

AS A near certainty of each New Year, whether that is committing to that elusive diet or adjusting back to normality as the Christmas festivities come to a close, the rise of train fares are these days just one of the accepted changes which is more than likely to leave a sour taste for regular commuters.

For a county as rural as Dorset, where most who have lived here long enough will know it is not the most dependable to get around on public transport, train services still provide a vital lifeline for young people to have some accessible transport.

The 1.1 per cent rise in cost for this year, the lowest in six years, may be a relief for some that it was not worse, but for those who travel off-peak and infrequently, there are no such price restrictions for the train operators.

This in itself poses problems in an area where the train usage differs from that of commuters who live outside, but work in London.

To start with, for tickets (minus a railcard) for an off peak return from Weymouth to/from Dorchester now costs £4.60; a rise in 10p from £4.50 last year. Taking into consideration those in particular in college and sixth form, these adult fares will be tricky to swallow and even with a 16-25 railcard, the discount only starts after 10am, because of its emphasis on leisure travel as opposed to commuting.

With no scheme in place to help the youngest in education or commuting to work, as bus fares to the same destinations not faring much better, young people are often the forgotten group who are impacted by such steep costs.

As many would probably testify, every penny counts and the more that is spent on the travelling, the more problems in areas like rent, food shopping and even having some saved in the bank for their own use.

Train travel is increasingly becoming a luxury for many who have to be careful with their spending.

In my own experience at least, I still expect to be standing outside for a late running train for the foreseeable future.