Drop short sighted proposals to change the conditions for using the Network Rail Cards, Walthamstow MP Neil Gerrard has told the Association of Train Operating Companies.
ATOC is proposing to apply a minimum fare of £10 for the use of the card from June 2.
Mr Gerrard told the Guardian: "This will make the card virtually useless within roughly a 35-mile radius of central London. It will put up fares for railcard holders by a huge percentage for many journeys.
"The cost of travelling on an off-peak day return from London to Stevenage or Chelmsford or Luton will go up by over 50 per cent for railcard holders.
"The whole point of the railcard was to offer cheaper off-peak journeys to adults aged between 26 and 60, travelling alone or in small groups.
"If we are serious about persuading people to use public transport rather than private cars we have to give the incentives to travel by rail. Over 360,000 people in the London area have network cards, proving their popularity."
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