A fresh row over rail fares flared today as train companies were accused of "ripping off" passengers with rises well above the rate of inflation.

Travellers faced new charges from today, with some tickets going up by more than 11%, adding hundreds of pounds to some annual season tickets.

The Transport Salaried Staffs Association, which represents thousands of rail workers, said the Government should scrap the formula allowing rail companies to increase fares above the cost of living.

General secretary Gerry Doherty said: "This latest increase makes a mockery of the Government's claims to help hard working families through the recession.

"As every other business in the land frantically cuts prices to win customers, we see rail companies cheerfully ripping off passengers by increasing their fares as inflation falls towards zero in 2009.

"Why should they be allowed to defy the laws of economic gravity which means prices should come down in a recession?

"This is totally unfair and totally unjustified. It is time for ministers to cancel this gravy train which sees passengers being taken for a ride every year."

Customer watchdog body Passenger Focus said rail travellers would "shudder and shiver" when they saw the new fares.

But the Association of Train Operating Companies (Atoc) said some fares were staying the same or going down and commuting by rail was "considerably less expensive than commuting by car".

From today, regulated fares, which include annual season tickets, will be going up by an average of 6% and unregulated fares, which include off-peak tickets, will be rising even more - by an average of 7%.

Some passengers will face double-digit percentage increases. For example a First Scotrail Glasgow-Edinburgh offpeak return his risen by 6.1% to £10.40.

Also, there will be 10% rises on unregulated day return fares on London-Weymouth, Woking-London and Farnborough-London routes on South West Trains.

The Kings Lynn-London unregulated day return fare on First Capital Connect (FCC) goes up 11.5%, while FCC's unregulated St Neots-London day return fare rises 11.1%.

Passengers have been particularly hard hit this year, as the new year price rise is based on whatever the retail price index (RPI) inflation is in the previous July.

The July 2008 RPI was as high as 5%, which meant regulated fares (subject to annual rises of RPI plus 1%) now have to rise by 6%.

Since July the rate of inflation has fallen fast, with the latest RPI being only 3%.

Commuters getting the shortest straw are those on Southeastern services which run into London from Kent and Sussex.

To pay for high-speed trains which will run through Kent this year, Southeastern regulated fares are going up by an average of 8% - which is 2% more than the national average.

A spokesman for the Rail Maritime and Transport union said: "Even without the current economic problems we need a railway with fares set at levels that encourage people to use them.

"All franchising can deliver is fat dividends for shareholders and it is clearer than ever that we need a not-for-profit railway run for the public good in the public sector."