Today sees the largest fare increase in nearly a decade for train passengers in England and Wales, with campaign group Railfuture accusing the UK Government of 'stoking the fire of the cost of living crisis.'
The Government has enabled an increase in ticket prices of up to 3.8%, with the cap on fare increases in England and Wales matching the Retail Prices Index (RPI) measure of inflation for July 2021, reports Hull Live.
The increase is the steepest since January 2013 according to figures from industry body the Rail Delivery Group.
Go here for the latest news on the cost of living
A 3.8% rise would lead to hikes in the cost of annual season tickets such as
- Newcastle to York - Up £214 to £5870
- Morpeth to Newcastle - Up £34.20 to £934.20
- Berwick to Newcastle - Up £178 to £4874
Last year's rise in fares was based on the RPI from the previous July plus one percentage point. The UK, Scottish and Welsh governments regulate rises in roughly half of fares on most commuter routes, including season tickets.
Before the Coronavirus pandemic, increases in other fares were controlled by operators but now governments have control of all ticket prices after spending more than £15 billion to keep services running during that time.
Rail Minister Chris Heaton-Harris said the 3.8% cap was a 'fair balance' when the fare increase was announced in December last year, while an RDG spokesman said: "The Government’s decision to hold fares down below current inflation is positive.
"It is important that fares are set at a level that will encourage more people to travel by train in the future, helping to support a clean and fair recovery from the pandemic."
However, Bruce Williamson of Railfuture said: "Ordinary working people are feeling the squeeze like never before, yet the Government is stoking the fire of the cost of living crisis with these eye-watering fare increases.
"How does this help get the country back to work?
He claimed that passengers will be 'bankrupted' next year if the formula for setting rail fare rises is unchanged, with inflation 'likely to hit 8%.'
Paul Tuohy, Chief Executive of Campaign for Better Transport, said the increase in fares 'couldn't come at a worse time,' adding: "Higher fares and crowded trains as a result of service reductions aren’t very appealing, and risks people working from home more or driving into work instead, further adding to congestion and air pollution."
Rail operators are still working to restore services cut in December and January after the Omicron variant caused huge staff shortages. Anthony Smith, Chief Executive of passenger watchdog Transport Focus, said: "As some fares rise, and more of us start to travel again, it is crucial the rail industry delivers a punctual and reliable service – the key driver of passenger satisfaction."
Louise Haigh, Labour's Shadow Transport Secretary said: "This brutal Tory fare hike will be a nightmare for millions of passengers. “Families are already facing tax rises and surging bills, and will now be clobbered with yet another eye-watering rise in the cost of the commute."
Trades Union Congress general secretary Frances O'Grady described the increasing cost of rail travel as 'the last thing commuters need.' She said: "It's vital that our rail system recovers the passengers it lost at the start of the pandemic, especially if we want to keep our climate commitments."
Rail travel demand is currently around a third below pre-Covid levels. A 3.8% increase in fares was already implemented in Scotland on January 24 while Northern Ireland's rail fares are set by state-owned Translink, which does not use RPI.
