London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Aug 28, 2025

Rail passengers suffer biggest fares rise in 11 years despite poor performance

Rail passengers suffer biggest fares rise in 11 years despite poor performance

Fares in England and Wales increase by an average of up to 5.9% on Sunday
Train passengers will be hit by the largest hike in fares for more than a decade on Sunday, despite record poor reliability.

Fares in England and Wales will jump by up to 5.9% on average, adding hundreds of pounds to the cost of many annual season tickets.

Rail minister Huw Merriman said the increase is “well below inflation and delayed”, but Labour described it as “savage” and public transport groups claimed passengers are not getting value for money.

Analysis of Office of Rail and Road (ORR) data found the annual fares rise is the largest since a 6.1% jump across Britain in 2012.

Examples of potential increases in ticket prices based on a 5.9% rise include:

– Annual season ticket from Woking to London: Up £216 from £3,664 to £3,880.

– Off-peak return from Birmingham to Cardiff: Up £3.97 from £67.30 to £71.27.

– Anytime day single from Liverpool to Leeds: Up £2.35 from £39.90 to £42.25.

Separate ORR figures show the equivalent of one in 25 train services were cancelled in the year to February 4, representing the worst reliability in records dating back to 2014.

Britain’s railways have been disrupted by a series of issues such as staff shortages and sickness, industrial action, severe weather and infrastructure failures.

Mr Merriman said: “I understand it has been a difficult year and people are feeling the pinch which is why – through the biggest ever Government intervention – we capped the rise well below inflation and delayed it coming into force.”

A spokesman for the Rail Delivery Group, which represents train operators, said: “The Government’s decision to hold fares down below current inflation is understandable.

“It is important that fares are set at a level that is appropriate for both the industry and its customers.”

Annual increases in fares were traditionally implemented on the first working day of each year, but they have been postponed by several months since 2021.

Shadow transport secretary Louise Haigh said: “This savage fare hike will be a sick joke for millions reliant on the Conservative’s broken rail system.

“People already facing soaring taxes and bills will now be clobbered with an eye-watering rise in the cost of the daily commute.”

Latest research by watchdog Transport Focus shows fewer than half of passengers think they get good value for their fares.

Chief executive Anthony Smith said: “After months of unreliable services and strike disruption, it’s clear that too many passengers are not getting a value for money service.

“Capping fares below inflation and the delay until March have gone some way to help ease the pain, but the need for more fundamental reform of fares and ticketing must not be forgotten.”

Norman Baker, director of external affairs at lobby group Campaign for Better Transport and former Lib Dem transport minister, said: “Pressing ahead with the largest fare rise in a decade will do nothing to encourage more people to take the train or help people struggling to meet rising travel costs.

“This rise is especially frustrating given the cuts to fuel duty and air passenger duty.”

The cap on increases in regulated rail fares in England, Scotland and Wales is set by the Westminster, Scottish and Welsh Governments respectively.

These include season tickets on commuter journeys, some off-peak return tickets on long-distance journeys and flexible tickets for travel around major cities.

Regulated fare rises have previously been linked to the Retail Price Index measure of inflation for the previous July, which in 2022 was 12.3%.

But the Westminster and Welsh Governments aligned this year’s rises with July’s average earnings growth, which was 5.9%.

The Welsh Government said in a statement last week that “given the disappointing budget settlement from the UK Government we cannot afford to deliver a lower increase”.

Train operators set unregulated fares, although their decisions are heavily influenced by governments due to contracts introduced because of the virus crisis.

These fares are also expected to increase by up to 5.9% in England and Wales from Sunday.

The Scottish Government has frozen ScotRail fares until the end of March, but no decision has been announced about what will happen beyond then.

Translink, Northern Ireland’s state-owned bus and train operator, will hike fares by an average of 7% from Monday.

This is the first rise in four years and comes after Northern Ireland Secretary Chris Heaton-Harris said in November that steps would need to be taken to improve Translink’s sustainability.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Bruce Willis Relocated Due to Advanced Dementia
French and Korean Nuclear Majors Clash As EU Launches Foreign Subsidy Probe
EU Stands Firm on Digital Rules as Trump Warns of Retaliation
Getting Ready for the 3rd Time in Its History, Germany Approves Voluntary Military Service for Teenagers
Argentine President Javier Milei Evacuated After Stones Thrown During Campaign Event
Denmark Confronts U.S. Diplomat Over Covert Trump-Linked Influence in Greenland
Starmer Should Back Away from ECHR, Says Jack Straw
Trump Demands RICO Charges Against George Soros and Son for Funding Violent Protests
Taylor Swift Announces Engagement to NFL Star Travis Kelce
France May Need IMF Bailout, Warns Finance Minister
Chinese AI Chipmaker Cambricon Posts Record Profit as Beijing Pushes Pivot from Nvidia
After the Shock of Defeat, Iranians Yearn for Change
Ukraine Finally Allows Young Men Aged Eighteen to Twenty-Two to Leave the Country
The Porn Remains, Privacy Disappears: How Britain Broke the Internet in Ten Days
YouTube Altered Content by Artificial Intelligence – Without Permission
Welcome to The Definition of Insanity: Germany Edition
Just a reminder, this is Michael Jackson's daughter, Paris.
Spotify’s Strange Move: The Feature Nobody Asked For – Returns
Manhunt in Australia: Armed Anti-Government Suspect Kills Police Officers Sent to Arrest Him
China Launches World’s Most Powerful Neutrino Detector
How Beijing-Linked Networks Shape Elections in New York City
Ukrainian Refugee Iryna Zarutska Fled War To US, Stabbed To Death
Elon Musk Sues Apple and OpenAI Over Alleged App Store Monopoly
2 Australian Police Shot Dead In Encounter In Rural Victoria State
Vietnam Evacuates Hundreds of Thousands as Typhoon Kajiki Strikes; China’s Sanya Shuts Down
UK Government Delays Decision on China’s Proposed London Embassy Amid Concerns Over Redacted Plans
A 150-Year Tradition to Be Abolished? Uproar Over the Popular Central Park Attraction
A new faith called Robotheism claims artificial intelligence isn’t just smart but actually God itself
Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner Purchases Third Property Amid Housing Tax Reforms Debate
HSBC Switzerland Ends Relationships with Over 1,000 Clients from Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Qatar, and Egypt
Sharia Law Made Legally Binding in Austria Despite Warnings Over 'Incompatible' Values
Italian Facebook Group Sharing Intimate Images Without Consent Shut Down Amid Police Investigation
Dutch Foreign Minister Resigns Amid Deadlock Over Israel Sanctions
Trump and Allies Send Messages of Support to Ukraine on Independence Day Amid Ongoing Conflict
China Reels as Telegram Chat Group Shares Hidden-Camera Footage of Women and Children
Sam Nicoresti becomes first transgender comedian to win Edinburgh Comedy Award
Builders uncover historic human remains in Lancashire house renovation
Australia Wants to Tax Your Empty Bedrooms
MotoGP Cameraman Narrowly Avoids Pedro Acosta Crash at Hungarian Grand Prix
FBI Investigates John Bolton Over Classified Documents in High-Profile Raids
Report reveals OpenAI pitched national ChatGPT Plus subscription to UK ministers
Labour set to freeze income tax thresholds in long-term 'stealth' tax raid
Coca‑Cola explores sale of Costa coffee chain
Trial hears dog walker was chased and fatally stabbed by trio
Restaurateur resigns from government hospitality council over tax criticism
Spanish City funfair shut after serious ride injury
Suspected arson at Ilford restaurant leaves three in critical condition
Tottenham beat Manchester City to go top of Premier League
Bank holiday heatwave to hit 30°C before remnants of Hurricane Erin arrive
UK to deploy immigration advisers to West Africa to block fake visas
×