Rail fares to rise by average of 1.1% from January 2016

Rail fares have risen by more than 25% in the last five years and Britain’s rail passengers are set to see them a 1.1% rise in average fares from 2 January, 2016.

The Rail Delivery Group (RDG), which represents train operators and Network Rail, said it was the smallest annual rise for six years.

Regulated fares, which include season tickets, are capped at no more than July’s RPI inflation rate of 1%. Unregulated fares, such as off-peak leisure tickets, can go up by as much as the train companies like.

RDG chief Paul Plummer said: “We know that nobody likes to pay more to travel by train, especially to get to work.” But he added that money from fares now almost covers rail’s daily operating costs.“This allows government to focus its funding on building a bigger, better network when the railway is becoming increasingly important at driving economic growth, underpinning jobs, and connecting friends and families,” Mr Plummer said.

Rail Minister Claire Perry claimed the government’s decision to link regulated fare increases to no more than RPI will save the average season ticket holder £425 by 2020.

She added: “Our plan for passengers is improving journeys for everyone. It’s transforming the tickets people buy, how much they pay for them, the trains they sit on, how quickly they arrive and the stations they arrive in.”

Mick Cash, general secretary of the Rail, Maritime and Transport union, said the rise was “another kick in the teeth for the British passenger who is already paying some of the highest fares in Europe to travel on clapped out and overcrowded trains”.

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