Travellers will have to pay more if they plan to let the train take the strain in the New Year, it was announced today.

The Association of Train Operating Companies (ATOC) announced a series of ticket price rises yesterday. In the North-East the cost of travelling on a GNER service will increase by a minimum of four per cent while Arriva Train Northern plans fare rises of up to 5.1 per cent.

Some Virgin Cross Country fares will rise by 6 per cent - almost three times the rate of inflation.

Train companies defended the rises last night.

Overall regulated fares such as season tickets, standard day tickets, savers on long-distance journeys will rise on average by 4.1% .

Unregulated fares like supersavers, cheap day tickets, standard tickets on long-distance routes, advance purchase, off-peak travelcards) will vary with average fare rises mostly around 4%.

ATOC said that between 1995 and 2003, standard class fares had risen in real terms by just 0.6 per cent.

Regulated standard class fares decreased in real terms by 6.6 per cent, while the real terms increase for unregulated standard class tickets over the period was 7.8 per cent. It said there was no financial gain for train operators from the change to the regulated fares regime as the extra revenue raised will be channelled back to the SRA to fund the continuing modernisation programme of Britain's railways.

Equally, the additional revenue raised by train companies from unregulated fares will be channelled into making further improvements to train services.

ATOC director general George Muir said today: ''This is the first real terms rise in regulated fares for seven years. ''Fares have got to rise to pay for the huge investment programmes the industry is now putting in to deliver a railway network fit for the 21st century.''