The number of complaints made by rail travellers across all networks rose by as much as a third in some areas last year, a passengers group has revealed.

The Rail Passengers Council's (RPC) annual report says 15,000 complaints were made in the year to March, an overall annual increase of 3%.

Most of the complaints concerned late trains, a failure to refund fares and the poor state of many stations - but in southern England those regarding fares or ticketing rose by 146%.

The RPC also called for a public inquiry into the "debacle" of the �100 million compensation paid to Virgin Rail.

Complaints

East England: +34% Wales: +31% West England: +21% Midlands:-17% South England: -16%

Sir Richard Branson's company was awarded the taxpayers' cash after a dispute over delays in modernising the UK's West Coast main line.

The RPC is calling for "public accountability" and also accused Virgin of "hiking prices and fiddling with ticket restrictions".

Virgin won the pay-out because of continued delays to Railtrack's �7bn upgrade of the London to Scotland track.

It had caused a knock-on delay to Virgin's new 125mph high-speed tilting trains.

Train delays

RPC chairman Stewart Francis said: "The whole West Coast upgrade situation is deeply worrying and this week's announcement will have shaken passengers and has raised more questions than answers."

He said he was writing to Transport Secretary Alistair Darling demanding that a public inquiry be held into the original deal between the former Office of Passenger Rail Franchising and Virgin.

And if the government did not agree to a public inquiry, he said the RPC would hold its own.

The council also revealed that train delays attributable to Railtrack had increased by 47% compared to before the October 2000 Hatfield crash, while delays due to train companies had fallen 9%.

Track 'knackered'

RPC national director Anthony Smith said: "Railtrack is still having terrible problems with the infrastructure.

"It's getting very, very old. It's knackered."

And though many companies are performing better, passengers still feel "sheer frustration" with the network, according to Mr Smith.

"The basic building blocks of an industry structure that might be capable of delivering what passengers and taxpayers need are being put in place," he said.

For all we know the deal is good value but only by having an inquiry can we get an adequate explanation

Stewart Francis Rail Passengers Council

But, Mr Smith continued, passengers had yet to benefit.

"There have been many good things that have started to happen this year for passengers - but there simply have not been enough of them."

The RPC is unhappy with Virgin fares, for example one from Manchester to London which had increased by 75% since April 1998.

"If fare rises are to be the answer, what on earth is the question?" said Mr Francis.

"This sort of thing drives a coach and horses through government policy to get people out of cars and on to public transport."