Rail fares in England will increase by up to 5.9% from March next year in a blow to passengers.
The hike to regulated fares is being capped below inflation to prevent a double-digit hike for travellers, the Department for Transport has said.
Fares are usually linked to the retail prices index of inflation, which would have meant a 12.3% increase if the rise was pegged to the traditional July rate.
The change will come into force on March 5, rather than in January, as was the case before the pandemic.
The decision was branded a "kick in the teeth" for commuters who have faced endless disruption.
Analysis by Labour found the average fares will rise to 58% more than they were in 2010, twice as fast as wages.
The average commuter faces paying a staggering £3,466 for their season ticket - £1,272, more than in 2010.
But Transport Secretary Mark Harper said: "This is the biggest-ever Government intervention in rail fares."
He said the impact of inflation was being felt across the economy, adding: "We do not want to add to the problem.
"This is a fair balance between the passengers who use our trains and the taxpayers who help pay for them."
Regulated rail fares account for around 45% of tickets, such as season tickets on most commuter journeys, some off-peak return tickets on long distance journeys and flexible tickets for travel around major cities.
Train operators set unregulated fares, although their decisions are heavily influenced by the Government due to contracts introduced because of the pandemic.
Shadow Transport Secretary Louise Haigh said: "“This brutal Conservative fare hike will be a sick joke for the millions of passengers reliant on crumbling rail services.”
“Families already facing soaring taxes and bills, will now be clobbered with a near-record rise in the eye-watering cost of the daily commute.
“People up and down this country are paying the price for 12 years of Tory failure.”
Liberal Democrat Transport spokesperson Wera Hobhouse said: "This is a kick in the teeth for commuters who are putting up with endless strikes, chaos and disruption.
"Season tickets will jump by hundreds of pounds and families will be left to fork out even more for train journeys in the middle of a cost of living crisis.
"The Government should be freezing fares to help struggling households.
"People are paying more for less on our rail network. You are lucky nowadays if the trains are actually running, let alone on time. The Conservative Government hiking fares like this is absolutely shocking."
David Sidebottom, director at watchdog Transport Focus, said: "No-one likes prices going up. In our latest research, less than half of passengers think the railway currently performs well on delivering value for money tickets.
"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 is welcome and will go some way to easing the pain, but the need for reform of fares and ticketing in the longer-term must not be forgotten."
