Londoners face the threat of the biggest hike in rail fares for a generation. The question is: what will ministers do about it? In normal times, the Government pegs regulated rail fares to July’s Retail Prices Index (RPI) measure. The problem is, these times are far from normal. RPI hit a staggering 11.8 per cent in June.
The last thing commuters, and the London economy that relies on them, need is for the Department for Transport to open up another front in the cost-of-living crisis. Figures provided by the Campaign for Better Transport suggest that an 11.8 per cent rise would see an annual season ticket from Woking to London rise by an eye-watering £432, from Reading by £595 and from Brighton by £826.
