London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Jul 31, 2025

Labour pledges to cut rail fares by a third

Labour pledges to cut rail fares by a third

Labour has announced plans to slash rail fares by 33% and simplify ticket prices for part-time workers if it wins the election on 12 December.
The party also wants to make train travel free for young people under the age of 16 and build a central online booking portal with no booking fees.

The proposal is part of broader plans by the party to nationalise the UK's train system.

Conservative Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said the plan was "desperate".

The Conservatives and Liberal Democrats have also pledged to improve transport.

"Privatisation has created one of the most complex, exploitative and expensive ticketing systems in the world," said Andy McDonald, Labour's shadow transport secretary.

"Labour will scrap the bewildering and outdated fares and ticketing system that discriminates against part-time workers, discourages rail travel and excludes the young and low-paid."

Labour says nationalisation - which it plans to achieve within five years of coming to power - will allow fares to be capped and improve the reliability of services.

The Conservatives' Mr Shapps said: "This is another desperate attempt from Labour to distract from their inability and unwillingness to be straight with people on where they stand on Brexit, and the fact they would raise taxes on low and middle-income workers across the country.

"You simply cannot trust [Jeremy] Corbyn to deliver what he claims. His ideological plans would wreck our economy, cost people their livelihoods and with the help of Nicola Sturgeon, would waste the whole of next year on two more chaotic referendums."

In keeping with their proposals to nationalise the railways, Labour's plans to significantly cut fares would see a reverse in the direction of travel for policies on train fares since privatisation.

Since 1995, successive governments have tried to move the day-to-day cost of running the railways onto fare-payers and away from the taxpayer. At that time, it used to be split 50/50 - now it's more like 75% on the shoulders of the passenger.

The argument goes that by raising fares in line with the Retail Prices Index inflation figure each year, government spending on the railways can be reserved for investment in infrastructure.

Announced just two days after the average train fare rise of 2.7% was published, and coinciding with major industrial action on several lines in the run-up to Christmas, Labour's proposal for a significant cut to fares could prove popular with commuters.

The future of ticketing and rail fares is just one of the issues being looked at by a major review into the UK's railways due to report after the election.

It is led by Keith Williams, the former boss of British Airways, who is particularly interested in how innovation in aviation fares and ticketing could be applied to the railways.

Meanwhile, the Liberal Democrats have pledged to freeze peak-time and season ticket train fares for the next five years and cancel the 2.7% rise in rail tickets from 2 January 2020. They also plan to complete the HS2 high-speed rail link.

And the Conservatives are pledging to improve transport links as part of a £3.6m Towns Fund.

They have also promised to give more funding to local combined authorities to improve bus and train services and put £500m into reversing cuts to the railway network made in the 1960s.

The Brexit Party's flagship transport policy is scrapping the HS2 rail project - a goal it shares with the Green Party.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Former Judge Charged After Drunk Driving Crash Kills Comedian in Brazil
Jeff Bezos hasn’t paid a dollar in taxes for decades. He makes billions and pays $0 in taxes, LEGALLY
China Increases Use of Exit Bans Amid Rising U.S. Tensions
IMF Upgrades Global Growth Forecast as Weaker Dollar Supports Outlook
Procter & Gamble to Raise U.S. Prices to Offset One‑Billion‑Dollar Tariff Cost
House Republicans Move to Defund OECD Over Global Tax Dispute
Botswana Seeks Controlling Stake in De Beers as Anglo American Prepares Exit
Trump Administration Proposes Repeal of Obama‑Era Endangerment Finding, Dismantling Regulatory Basis for CO₂ Emissions Limits
France Opens Criminal Investigation into X Over Algorithm Manipulation Allegations
A family has been arrested in the UK for displaying the British flag
Mel Gibson refuses to work with Robert De Niro, saying, "Keep that woke clown away from me."
Trump Steamrolls EU in Landmark Trade Win: US–EU Trade Deal Imposes 15% Tariff on European Imports
ChatGPT CEO Sam Altman says people share personal info with ChatGPT but don’t know chats can be used as court evidence in legal cases.
The British propaganda channel BBC News lies again.
Deputy attorney general's second day of meeting with Ghislaine Maxwell has concluded
Controversial March in Switzerland Features Men Dressed in Nazi Uniforms
Politics is a good business: Barack Obama’s Reported Net Worth Growth, 1990–2025
Thai Civilian Death Toll Rises to 12 in Cambodian Cross-Border Attacks
TSUNAMI: Trump Just Crossed the Rubicon—And There’s No Turning Back
Over 120 Criminal Cases Dismissed in Boston Amid Public Defender Shortage
UN's Top Court Declares Environmental Protection a Legal Obligation Under International Law
"Crazy Thing": OpenAI's Sam Altman Warns Of AI Voice Fraud Crisis In Banking
The Podcaster Who Accidentally Revealed He Earns Over $10 Million a Year
Trump Announces $550 Billion Japanese Investment and New Trade Agreements with Indonesia and the Philippines
US Treasury Secretary Calls for Institutional Review of Federal Reserve Amid AI‑Driven Growth Expectations
UK Government Considers Dropping Demand for Apple Encryption Backdoor
Severe Flooding in South Korea Claims Lives Amid Ongoing Rescue Operations
Japanese Man Discovers Family Connection Through DNA Testing After Decades of Separation
Russia Signals Openness to Ukraine Peace Talks Amid Escalating Drone Warfare
Switzerland Implements Ban on Mammography Screening
Japanese Prime Minister Vows to Stay After Coalition Loses Upper House Majority
Pogacar Extends Dominance with Stage Fifteen Triumph at Tour de France
CEO Resigns Amid Controversy Over Relationship with HR Executive
Man Dies After Being Pulled Into MRI Machine Due to Metal Chain in New York Clinic
NVIDIA Achieves $4 Trillion Valuation Amid AI Demand
US Revokes Visas of Brazilian Corrupted Judges Amid Fake Bolsonaro Investigation
U.S. Congress Approves Rescissions Act Cutting Federal Funding for NPR and PBS
North Korea Restricts Foreign Tourist Access to New Seaside Resort
Brazil's Supreme Court Imposes Radical Restrictions on Former President Bolsonaro
Centrist Criticism of von der Leyen Resurfaces as she Survives EU Confidence Vote
Judge Criticizes DOJ Over Secrecy in Dropping Charges Against Gang Leader
Apple Closes $16.5 Billion Tax Dispute With Ireland
Von der Leyen Faces Setback Over €2 Trillion EU Budget Proposal
UK and Germany Collaborate on Global Military Equipment Sales
Trump Plans Over 10% Tariffs on African and Caribbean Nations
Flying Taxi CEO Reclaims Billionaire Status After Stock Surge
Epstein Files Deepen Republican Party Divide
Zuckerberg Faces $8 Billion Privacy Lawsuit From Meta Shareholders
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
SpaceX Nears $400 Billion Valuation With New Share Sale
×