Price hikes for rail fares have been dubbed "another kick in the teeth" for local passengers by an East Staffordshire union leader.
The outburst from East Staffordshire Trade Union Council secretary William Walker follows an announcement that train tickets will rise by an average of 3.4 per cent.
For popular routes from Burton, to Derby and Nottingham, commuters will spend an extra £52 or £130 a year.
At present, daily return tickets from Burton to Derby cost £7.50, but this would rise to £7.70, while return journeys from Burton to Nottingham would cost £15.60, up from £15.10.
The routes are operated by CrossCountry (to Derby) and East Midlands Trains (to Nottingham).
Secretary of East Staffordshire Trade Union Council, William Walker, said: "It is just another kick in the teeth for passengers, and at the same time as safety-critical staff are being cut from the train lines.
"If we were to re-nationalise it, we could cut fares and filter all the profits straight back into the system.
"This also comes as East Midlands and CrossCountry have their franchises up for renewal," said Mr Walker.
"The problem is we will have less safe rail services, which could create a huge issue on safety grounds."
Meanwhile the 3.4 per cent price hike will also see season ticket prices rise again.
For Burton to Derby this is another £48 for an annual season ticket (£1,428).
From Burton to Nottingham this would be another £88 for an annual season ticket (£2,564).
The National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers (RMT), has also attacked the fares increase.
General secretary Mick Cash said: "These fare increases are another kick in the teeth for British passengers who will still be left paying the highest fares in Europe to travel on rammed out, unreliable trains where private profit comes before public safety.
"For public sector workers and many others in our communities who have had their pay and benefits capped or frozen by this Government these fare increases are another twist of the economic knife while the private train companies are laughing all the way to the bank. "
In response, it is planning a day of action called "Cut fares, not staff," which will be held at train stations across Britain on Tuesday, January 2.
A spokesman said: "We will be using the day to highlight that while train companies make big profits on the back of fare rises, guards and other members working in the sector are facing unprecedented attacks from employers – ranging from the spread of driver-only operations, cuts to infrastructure work, ticket office closures and de-staffing of stations."
The Rail Delivery Group, which works alongside National Rail, says that the average rise of 3.4 per cent would be introduced from Tuesday, January 2, 2018 - and would be below the regular rate of inflation at 3.6 per cent.
Meanwhile, it said that £925 million - the highest sum in a decade, was invested from private sources into the UK's railways, alongside record lows of government support.
A spokesman for CrossCountry said that both season and regular tickets - as regulated fares - would increase at the level set by Governement.
Meanwhile, East Midlands Trains said that their tickets would increase at the slightly lower average of 3.3 per cent.
A spokesman said that the increases would not just support the day-to-day network, but also "help government to support the biggest investment in railway since Victorian times."
Jake Kelly, managing director of East Midlands Trains, said: "As well as helping to fund the biggest national investment in the railways since Victorian times through increased payments to Government, the money from fares is also helping to drive many real improvements for customers across the East Midlands Trains network."
