Rail passengers to be hit with largest fare hike in a decade
UK train passengers can expect the largest fare rise in a decade.
Increases are usually linked to the previous July’s Retail Prices Index (RPI) measure of inflation, which was confirmed as 3.8 per cent for July 2021 by the Office for National Statistics today.
No announcement has been made on what will happen to fares next year, but ticket prices in England and Wales rose by an average of around 2.6 per cent in March, representing RPI for July 2020 plus one percentage point.
The Scottish Government imposed smaller rises of 1.6 per cent and 0.6 per cent for peak and off-peak travel respectively.
Largest increase since 2012
A repeat of the policy in England and Wales would see fares rise by an average of 4.8 per cent, which would be the largest increase since 2012.
That is the amount that public transport fares in London are set to be hiked by in January, under the terms of the UK Government’s bailout of Transport for London.
Rises in fares for mainline rail services across Britain are controlled by the UK, Scottish and Welsh governments.
A spokesman for the UK Government’s Department for Transport said: “No decision has been made on national rail fares.
“The Government is considering a variety of options and we will announce our decision in due course.”
Rail fares are usually increased every January, but the coronavirus pandemic meant this year’s increase was delayed until 1 March.
Paul Tuohy, chief executive of pressure group Campaign for Better Transport, called for fares to be frozen to reduce carbon emissions and encourage commuters to return to towns and cities.
He said: “In the face of a climate emergency, the Government should be doing everything it can to encourage people to choose low-carbon public transport by making it the cheapest option, not hiking rail fares.”
Robert Nisbet, director of nations and regions at industry body the Rail Delivery Group, said: “Now, more than ever, it is Government that controls changes to rail fares and it has yet to decide what will happen next year.
“While Government rightly decides the balance between how much farepayers and taxpayers contribute to running the railway, any decision should be viewed against the decade-long freeze in fuel duty and Government proposals to cut air passenger duty for domestic flights.
“Getting people out of cars and planes is essential to meet net-zero targets.”
Emma Gibson, director of passenger watchdog London TravelWatch, said: “Fares in London need to be affordable if people are to be tempted back to public transport and out of their cars.
“Many Londoners have already suffered financially as a result of the pandemic so a 4.8% fares increase is the last thing they will want to see.”
Fares for rail services in Northern Ireland are set by state-owned operator Translink, which does not use RPI.