A demo is to be staged outside Carlisle's railway station in protest against higher fares.

The protest will be led by members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union.

They will be outside the Citadel on January 2 when the latest annual increase in Britain's rail fares comes into effect.

It has been confirmed there will be an average 3.4 per cent increase, a rise dubbed "staggering" by critics.

It will be the sharpest rise since 2013, when fares increased by 3.9 per cent.

Craig Johnston, the Carlisle-based RMT regional organiser, said: "We believe passengers are paying for the failure of the privatisation of the rail system.

"At the same time they are pushing massive increases in fares they are also bringing in driver-only trains and attacking infrastructure."

He added: "The cut agenda makes the railway system less safe while we are being asked to pay more."

Mr Johnston also insists that train travel must be more affordable in a county like Cumbria.

"Communication links are vital in a place like Cumbria for its economy. The railways are essential to keep us in touch with the rest of the country and they have to be more affordable."

The average increases for train operating companies include a 4.6 per cent rise for TransPennine Express services, 3.3 per cent on Virgin Trains West Coast and 3.2 per cent for ScotRail.

In Cumbria the price of an anytime single between Carlisle and Penrith is rising 40p from £7.50 to £7.90 while an anytime return ticket is going up 10 pence - from £9.80 to £9.90.

The cost of a journey between Carlisle and Workington is to rise from £9.20 to £9.50 for passengers buying an anytime single ticket.

An anytime return - now £10.20 -will cost 30 pence more from January 2.

Passenger watchdog Transport Focus compared the news to "a chill wind" blowing down platforms as many passengers' incomes are stagnating or falling.

Labour is calling for the railways to be brought back into public ownership.

Meanwhile the Green Party and the consumer group Which? both say the price hike will be another "body blow" to passengers.

A Department for Transport spokeswoman said the Government "carefully monitors" how rail fares and average earnings change and keeps the way fares are increased under review.

She added: "We are investing in the biggest rail modernisation programme for over a century to improve services for passengers - providing faster and better trains with more seats.

"We have always fairly balanced the cost of this investment between the taxpayer and the passenger and are driving the industry to improve efficiency so that we maximise the value of this investment in the railways."

The increase comes as figures show that one in nine trains (12 per cent) failed to meet the rail industry's punctuality target in the past 12 months.

Industry body the Rail Delivery Group said more than 97p in every pound from fares goes back into improving and running the railway.

Successive governments have looked to cut taxpayers' funding of railways and increase the contribution from passengers.

Office of Rail and Road figures published in October showed that £4.2 billion of taxpayers' cash went to the rail industry in 2016/17.

Taking inflation into account, this is down almost 13 per cent on the previous year but more than twice as much as British Rail used to get before the rail network was privatised.

A spokesman for train operator Northern has defended the rise.

They said: "Northern is 18 months into a major modernising programme that by 2020 will see updated trains, better stations and over 2000 new services added to the timetable.

"Fares are an important factor in enabling the investment that will make this happen and ensure the railway continues to support our customers, communities and the regional economy.

"We are taking the opportunity to launch some new discounted fares on 2 January. We are extending our range of Duo tickets that offer a 25 per cent discount on off-peak for two customers travelling together and adding more routes to our Advance Purchase on the Day offer, with online discounts available up to 15 minutes before travel."

WHAT WILL YOUR FARE COST?

These examples compare the price of a 12-month season ticket bought today with one purchased from January 2 next year.

Route - Current price - Jan 2018 - Increase

Carlisle-Whitehaven - £1,872 - £1,920 - £48

Carlisle-Newcastle - £3,056 - £3,132 - £76

Carlisle-Penrith* - £1,756 - £1,836 - £80

Carlisle-Barrow - £3,096 - £3,176 - £80

Maryport-Sellafield - £1,040 - £1,064 - £24

Workington-Carlisle - £1,644 - £1,684 - £40

Workington-Whitehaven - £440 - £448 - £8

Carlisle-Preston* - £5,852 - £6,060 - £208

* Cheaper January 2018 option is available if passenger wishes to use services from one chosen train operator only