Rail fares hike means passengers now have to work for seven weeks to earn enough for season ticket 


Rail fares hike means passengers now have to work for seven weeks to earn enough for season ticket

  • Train fares across England and Wales will from today surge 3.8% in latest hike 
  • The annual rise will see the cost of the typical season ticket go up by nearly £120
  • In London, bus and Tube fares will go up an extra percentage point 4.8%


Rail commuters face having to work up to seven weeks just to earn enough money for their annual season ticket under the latest crippling fares hike.

Train fares across England and Wales will surge 3.8 per cent from today – the sharpest increase since 2013.

Linked to the retail prices index, the annual rise will see the cost of the typical season ticket go up by nearly £120, to £3,263.

Rail commuters face having to work up to seven weeks just to earn enough money for their annual season ticket under the latest crippling fares hike (stock photo used)

Rail commuters face having to work up to seven weeks just to earn enough money for their annual season ticket under the latest crippling fares hike (stock photo used) 

This is £1,069 – or 49 per cent – more than in 2010 and means fares have risen almost twice as fast as wages since then.

In London, bus and Tube fares will go up an extra percentage point (4.8 per cent).

It comes as workers face a huge rise in the cost of living, with household and energy bills expected to soar from next month, when the Government’s 1.25 percentage point national insurance tax hike also takes effect.

Campaigners fear the latest fares hike will discourage staff still working at home from returning to the office.

Analysis by the Campaign for Better Transport consumer group found the average full-time worker commuting from Brighton to London would have to work seven weeks to earn enough money to pay for their annual season ticket, which is now costing £5,302, up £194 compared with last year.

Between Liverpool and Manchester, a season ticket will rise by £105 to £2,865.

Train fares across England and Wales will surge 3.8 per cent from today – the sharpest increase since 2013 (stock photo used)

Train fares across England and Wales will surge 3.8 per cent from today – the sharpest increase since 2013 (stock photo used) 

Labour Party analysis found the highest increase in cash terms since 2010 was for a season ticket between Birmingham and London Euston, rising by £3,901 to £11,929 from today.

Paul Tuohy, chief executive of the Campaign for Better Transport, said the increase couldn’t come at a worse time.

He added: ‘We need to get people back into workplaces, eating in town-centre cafes and shopping on their lunch breaks to help kick-start the economy.

‘But now that many people have a choice about how many days they go into the office, higher fares and crowded trains as a result of service reductions aren’t very appealing.’

Labour transport spokesman Louise Haigh said: ‘This brutal Tory fare hike will be a nightmare for millions of passengers.’

But the Department for Transport defended the hike, saying: ‘We have protected passengers by delaying these fare rises by two months and, even then, opting for a figure well below current inflation rates.

‘However, we must now look to recoup some of the £14 billion which was spent to keep vital services running throughout the pandemic in a way that is fair for all taxpayers.’

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