MP for Kingston and Surbiton James Berry has stepped up the campaign to get two stations in the borough rezoned.
Kingston and Surbiton station are in zone 6 and commuters going into central London pay £2,344 for an annual travel card.
Mr Berry lobbied Parliament last week to get the stations rezoned to zone 5 meaning an annual travel card would go down in price to £2,188 – saving cash-strapped commuters £156.
He said: “My hard-working constituents are forced to pay zone 6 fares despite logic, fairness and geography dictating we should be in zone 5.
“There are other rezoning campaigns in London, but there are none more compelling than ours. I have invited a debate on the zoning of stations in the capital.”
Mr Berry aims to get Kingston and Surbiton rezoned by 2017 when the new SouthWest Trains contract is renegotiated.
He said his biggest hurdle would be working out how to pay the train company the annual £6m it will lose if the stations are reclassified.
He said: “Essentially, South West Trains doesn’t care what zone we are in, as long as it doesn’t lose any money.
“You have every London MP lobbying for why they need more money. I have to argue why my constituents need it.”
The rezoning campaign will be familiar to many Kingston residents.
Former Kingston and Surbiton MP Ed Davey started the campaign almost a decade ago, but claimed he was constantly being blocked by the treasury when he tried to get it going.
He said: “James Berry should have no problem implementing it. I have already done all the leg work. I talked to the train companies and got everyone on side.
“It was always a political measure that we were not given the money to get it signed off when I was MP. It would be absolutely astonishing if he can’t pull it off.”
- Got a story? Call the newsdesk on 020 8722 6318 or email rachael.burford@london.newsquest.co.uk
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