Millions set to pay ‘brutal’ rail fare rise next year | Breaking News News

Millions of train passengers face a hike in fares of nearly 5% next year, the Department for Transport (DfT) said.

In England, regulated rail fares will increase by up to 4.9% from 3 March 2024.

Regulated rail fares 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 government said the new 4.9% cap is lower than the equivalent in Scotland, where prices will increase by up to 8.7%.

Follow live:
Updates on Christmas travel gridlock
Warning over ‘catastrophic’ new visa rules

However, Labour called it “another brutal bumper rise in rail fares” following this year’s 6% hike.

Shadow transport secretary Louise Haigh said: “With passengers facing record delays and cancellations… this is an insult to millions. Labour will reform our broken railways and finally put passengers first.”

She added that under the Tories, rail fares have risen almost twice as fast as wages.

The Trades Union Congress (TUC) also called the rise “excessive” given “widespread cancellations and delays” across the network and called for rail to be brought back into public ownership.

Regulated fares are overseen by the government following the privatisation of the railways.

Train operators set unregulated fares, although their decisions are heavily influenced by the DfT.

The DfT said the new increase is “significantly lower” than July’s RPI measure of inflation, which is traditionally used to determine annual fare rises, and was 9% this year.

It is also lower than 2023’s cap on increases in regulated fares which was 5.9% – the largest rise in a decade.

But the Consumer Prices Index (CPI), which is a more commonly used inflation figure, was 3.9% in November.

Read more:
What it’s like travelling on some of the country’s worst rail routes

Transport Secretary Mark Harper said: “This is 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.

“We remain committed to supporting the rail sector reform outdated working practices to help put it on a sustainable financial footing.”

It comes amid ongoing concerns about the state of Britain’s rail network, the HS2 shambles and months of disruption because of rail strikes.

Sky News has revealed that even before the new hikes come into effect, the UK has the most expensive train tickets in Europe.

The issue is likely to be a battleground at the next general election, with Labour vowing to bring the railways back into public ownership as contracts expire if it enters Downing Street.

A spokesman for watchdog London TravelWatch said: “These new rail fares will see already hard-pressed passengers hit with another unwelcome price hike.

“Reform to rail fares and ticketing could not be more urgent now.

“Government needs to set out an alternative vision that makes public transport appealing – this includes affordable fares, rolling out contactless payment options, and improving train service punctuality so passengers are getting real value-for-money.”