Highest rail fare rise in nine years
CAMPAIGNERS have voiced outrage as rail travellers face a steep hike in fares from today.
The 3.8 per cent rise in England andWales is the biggest since 2013.
It means a Brighton to London season ticket is £194 more, at £5,302.
Yearly travel from Liverpool to Manchester jumps £105 to £2,865 and the bill for getting from Neath to Cardiff increases £70 to £1,922.
The fare rise cap matches the Retail Price Index (RPI) measure of inflation for July 2021 plus one per cent.
Paul Tuohy, of the Campaign for Better Transport group, said: “Today’s fare rise will do nothing to ease the cost-of-living crisis, help the economy and tackle climate change.”
Bruce Williamson, of Railfuture, warned passengers would be “bankrupted” next year, as inflation is likely to hit eight per cent.
The latest figures show RPI in January was 7.8 per cent.
He said: “The Government is stoking the fire of the cost-of-living crisis with these eye-watering increases.
“How does this help the country
get back to work?” UK, Scottish and Welsh governments regulate about half the fare rises on most commuter routes and before Covid, operators fixed others.
However, governments now control ticket prices after spending more than £15billion to keep services running.
Industry body the Rail Delivery Group said the decision to hold fares below inflation was “positive”.
It added: “It is important fares are set at a level that will encourage more people to travel by train, helping to support a clean and fair recovery from the pandemic.”
Rail journeys are at around a third of pre-pandemic levels.