Department for Transport has said that , Regulated train fares in England will increase by as much as 4.9% starting in March.
The increase is limited to the rate of inflation and will not take effect until January, when hikes typically do.
Past fare increases have been determined by adding 1% to the retail price index (RPI), which measures inflation for July.
However, the Department for Transport has made the decision to cap fare price increases below July’s rate of 9% for the second year in a row.
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The increase comes after 18 months of service disruptions for passengers as a result of rail worker strikes.
Roughly 45% of fares are subject to regulation, which implies that the government has direct control over them.
These consist of travelcards, most season tickets, some off-peak return tickets, and anytime tickets in and around major cities.
The government raised national rail fares by 5.9% last year, significantly less than the RPI of 12.3% in July 2022.
Nevertheless, the Office of Rail and Road, a regulator, claims that it was still the biggest increase since 2012.
Transport Scotland declared on Wednesday that starting in April of next year, rail fares throughout Scotland will increase by 8.7%. Current prices, according to the Scottish government, are “simply no longer sustainable.”
The Caledonian Sleeper train and all ScotRail services will be impacted by the price increase.
The 4.9% increase was characterized as a “significant intervention by the government to cap the increase in rail fares below last year’s rise” by Transport Secretary Mark Harper.
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“Our railways are still losing money due to changed working patterns after the pandemic, so this rise strikes a balance to keep our railways running, without overburdening passengers,” he stated.
“Value for money and reliability are the highest priorities for passengers,” stated Alex Robertson, CEO of the watchdog Transport Focus.
“Anything that keeps fare increases in check has got to be welcome, especially in light of the recent disruption and the strain on household budgets.”
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