Rail fares to rise by almost 5% in England and Wales on Sunday
Rail fares will rise by 4.9 per cent across England and Wales on Sunday – adding hundreds of pounds to travel costs for many commuters.
The Department for Transport announced the increase last December which will include season tickets on most commuter journeys, some off-peak return tickets on long-distance routes and flexible tickets for travel around major cities.
The move has been criticised by campaigners who said passengers would be “rightly angry” at the latest increase, which is above the current inflation rate of 4 per cent.
And rail passenger groups warned that the continued rise in rail fares – after the largest increase in a decade, a 5.9 per cent hike in March 2023 – was pushing people to switch from the railway to the roads, with fuel duty on petrol falling in real terms after being frozen over a decade of inflation.
But ministers said the decision was “striking a balance” as rail revenues stand around 20 per cent below pre-pandemic levels the railway requiring larger-than-usual public subsidy.
About 45 per cent of fares are regulated, meaning they are directly influenced by the Government.
Transport Secretary Mark Harper described the 4.9 per cent rise as a “significant intervention by the government to cap the increase in rail fares below last year’s rise”.
“Changed working patterns after the pandemic means that our railways are still losing money and require significant subsidies, so this rise strikes a balance to keep our railways running, while not overburdening passengers,” he added.
However, the increase comes in contrast to policy in London, where Tube and bus fares will be frozen for another year.
Cheaper rush-hour travel will also be introduced in the capital next week, with the abolition of peak fares on Friday.