Every monthly inflation figure matters, but today’s will be of particular interest to rail passengers. Traditionally, July’s inflation number has been used to determine fare rises. Given a figure of 3.6 per cent, the traditional formula of RPI plus one per cent would equate to a 4.6 per cent increase.
Commuters are well accustomed to fare rises. Indeed, some might even gladly pay it were the service dependable. Yet how often is it the case that trains are cancelled because there isn’t enough staff? A delay caused by the wrong sort of leaves might in fact represent an improvement.
