According to the TUC's Action for Rail campaign, fares have risen almost three times faster than wages since the recession began.
"Train operating companies seem to have completely ignored the fact that real-term incomes and living standards have fallen and have ploughed ahead with eye-watering price-hikes," said campaign chair Frances O'Grady.
As an antidote to the bad news, the Advertiser has indulged in some fantasy spending on your behalf.
Here is our list of some current journey prices – and what you could buy for the same money.
For a few extra pennies you could switch your anytime day return ticket from Dorking to Horsley, costing £17.10, for a classic tasting experience and tour of Denbies Wine Estate for you and a friend, priced at £9.50 per person (source: thetrainline.com).
Instead of your £23 anytime day Travelcard from Dorking to London, why not enjoy nine holes at Dorking Golf Club – at £13 you will have enough left over for a drink and bite to eat in the Club Lounge afterwards.
Dorking's Two to Four restaurant, listed in the 2013 Michelin Guide, offers a three-course set menu for £23 – a tenner less than the £33.30 you'll need for an advance single from Leatherhead to Ipswich.
An off-peak day single via any route from Dorking Deepdene to Oxford will set you back a pricey £31.90 – but for just £30, you could make a big difference to a sick child's life. Jonathan Bennett, a spokesman for Leatherhead-based charity Rainbow Trust, said: "That extra £30 could pay for a box of fun arts and crafts."
Train fares for longer journeys are dramatically higher.
For example, if you're planning a fun-filled weekend in Middlesbrough, a super off-peak single from Dorking will set you back £129.
For a little over half that price – £70.12 – you could buy an annual family pass for all National Trust sites, including attractions like the beautiful Polesden Lacey estate in Bookham.
For the price of an off-peak return from Betchworth to Southampton (£53.70) you could enjoy a white water rafting experience at Lee Valley, where the Olympic canoe slalom events were held.
For those seeking a more child-friendly day out, a family of four can go to Chessington World of Adventures for £100 – less than the £109.50 you would pay for an anytime single ticket from Bookham to Cardiff.
A first-class anytime return from Dorking to Grimsby is very costly at £341, especially when you could get a flight from Gatwick to Hamburg for £113.44, leaving plenty of cash left over to enjoy a beer festival.
An anytime return from Leatherhead to Glasgow will cost you £352, money we think would be more memorably spent paying £165 for a helicopter flying lesson at Redhill Aerodrome.
You could even take a friend along and still have £22 change compared to the cost of the Glasgow ticket.
If you fancy a trip to the Highlands of Scotland, you can get an anytime return from Dorking to Wick for £391.
As an alternative, we found a second-hand Ford Ka available for £275 – although of course taking the train is a more eco-friendly option.
For the poor souls commuting from Mole Valley to London daily, there is little alternative to the season ticket – despite the fact a year-long pass between Dorking and Victoria will cost you a staggering £2,368.
If you can find a way to work from home, you could use the money for a flight from Gatwick to Las Vegas and a week-long stay at the luxury Bellagio Hotel – all for £1,850 on Expedia.
At the cheaper end of the spectrum, an "anytime" single from Leatherhead to Dorking costs £3.20.
For that money we found a rather fetching piggy bank at the St Catherine's Hospice shop in South Street, Dorking.
At a cost of £1.50, we even had £1.70 left over to put inside for a rainy day.
