Chancellor George Osborne is being urged to cut back the inflation-busting rail fare rises planned for January.

He announced last year that most rail fares would rise by three per cent above inflation for three years as part of a plan to cut the public subsidy given to the rail network.

The new Transport Secretary, Justine Greening, is reported by The Times as wanting to offer ordinary families little “packages of sunshine” where possible.

There are reports that Mr Osborne is being urged to limit January’s rise to one per cent above inflation, in his autumn financial statement on Tuesday 29 November 2011.

Fares on some inter-city routes, particularly Virgin’s West Coast main line services, are already way too high.

To make matters worse and to further undermine the coalition government’s claim to be green, Prime Minister David Cameron has hinted that motorists are to be “helped” because of rising fuel costs.

Rail passengers meanwhile are said to face fare increases of between five to 13% although on past experience some fares will rise by considerably more than that as train operators “cheat” by altering peak-time rules and releasing even fewer cheap advance tickets.

Sadly many of the companies operating train services are prepared to “bleed” passengers, even though millions of pounds of public money is invested in the system with the aim of providing a national public transport system.

They believe it is not in their financial interest to see lower fares, yet many potential passengers are already priced off the railway.

The Campaign for Better Transport, which has opposed the proposed increases, welcomed the reports of a possible cut in the planned increases.

CBT chief executive Stephen Joseph said: "It would be good news for passengers, particularly those that rely on rail to get to work. But this is just the start. We want the Government to launch a full fares review."

The Transport Salaried Staffs Association, which represents ticket office staff, warned that fares will jump by 25% over the next four years unless the current formula for above-inflation increases is changed.

Their “wanted” posters urge passengers to join a coalition of unions and environmental groups fighting the increases.

The union urged rail passengers to sign up to new group Together For Transport, backed by the Campaign for Better Transport and Climate Rush.

Thousands of the posters were handed to passengers at London's Victoria, Waterloo, Euston, King's Cross and Liverpool Street stations and at Bristol, Brighton, Swindon and Coventry during the morning rush-hour this week.

"It is simply outrageous that passengers who rely on rail to get to work should be held to ransom every year by ministers," said TSSA leader Manuel Cortes.

"We want them to join us in telling Cameron and Clegg that enough is enough. Why should they have to pay these stealth taxes when fares are already the highest in Europe?"