DORSET'S rail passengers could soon be paying different fares based on the quality of the rail service following the launch of a public consultation.

Passengers on South Western Railway (SWR) and Great Western Railway (GWR) are being encouraged to have their say on proposals revealed by the Rail Delivery Group (RDG), which represents UK train operators to overhaul rail ticketing.

Under the proposals, RDG is suggesting making fares cheaper to travel on routes with slower, less regular and more basic trains, with better services becoming more expensive.

This could mean that faster services running to and from London Waterloo would cost more, with slower services stopping at all stations across Dorset becoming cheaper.

Other possibilities included in the consultation are abolishing peak and off-peak fares so passengers are charged the same throughout busier and quieter periods, giving discounts to regular travellers and reducing prices for e-tickets but increasing them for paper tickets.

Responses to the consultation will be used to produce a report containing proposals for the Government to consider.

In a joint statement, Andy Mellors, managing director of SWR and Mark Hapwood, managing director of GWR, said: "With independent research showing that only one in three rail customers in Dorset are very confident that they bought the best value ticket for their last journey and even less are very satisfied with the experience of buying their ticket, we want regulations brought up to date so we can deliver simple-to-use and easier fares for our customers."

RDG chief executive Paul Plummer said that he wanted to create "an easier-to-use fares system".

The consultation is hosted on britainrunsonrail.co.uk and involves a questionnaire that can be completed online or by post.