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Scottish Sun
7 hours ago
- Business
- Scottish Sun
Rail passengers face 5.5% fare hike in MONTHS as furious critics blast ‘outrageous rip off'
Critics fumed that expensive tickets were "putting people off" rail travel Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) RAIL passengers could be stopped in their tracks as ticket prices are set to increase by 5.5%. Transport groups have been left steaming by the potential increase in next year's rail fares, which they have slammed as "outrageous". Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 2 Transport groups have been left steaming by the potential increase in next year's rail fares Credit: Getty The July Retail Prices Index (RPI) figure, which is often used to determine the annual increase to rail travel, will be announced on Wednesday. RPI is a measure of inflation - published monthly - which is used to measure the change in the cost of retail goods and services. It was not used in 2022 or 2023, but it was in 2024, when the Department for Transport confirmed prices would go up by 4.6% - 1 percentage point higher than last July's RPI figure. The Government has not yet said how it will determine next year's rail fare rise. And banking group Investec has forecast this year's July RPI figure at 4.5%, meaning prices could jump by 5.5% in March 2026. Bruce Williamson, of pressure group Railfuture, fumed there was "no justification" for the monumental increase. He said: "What would be the justification for jacking up fares above inflation? There isn't any. "It's ripping off the customer, driving people off the trains and on to our congested road network, which is in no one's interest. "One would hope that there would be some efficiency savings and economies of scale that you get from having a more integrated railway. "But I strongly suspect that if there are any savings to be had, they'd be swallowed up by the Treasury and not passed back to passengers, which I think is wrong." Rachel Reeves confirms bus fare cap WILL rise to £3 after MPs slammed 'betrayal of working people' About 45% of fares on Britain's railways are regulated by either Westminster or the Scottish and Welsh Governments. This includes season tickets on most commuter journeys, some off-peak return tickets and flexible tickets for travel around major cities. Train operators set rises in unregulated fares, although these are likely to be very close to changes in regulated ticket prices. Ben Plowden, chief executive of Campaign for Better Transport, said that expensive fares were "putting people off" using trains. He added: 'Rising fares are not just burdening passengers, they are putting people off rail travel. 'Our survey found that 71% of people would be more likely to take the train if fares were cheaper. 'Public support for nationalisation plummets if fares continue to rise. "As the Government progresses plans for Great British Railways, it must take the opportunity to reform fares and make rail travel more affordable.' In March 2024, rail fares went up by 4.9%. How to save money on your train ticket HERE are some top tips to help you save cash on rail fares. Split tickets If you're taking a lengthy train journey then you could save hundreds of pounds by splitting your tickets. You won't need to change trains and National Rail lets you split your ticket as long as the train calls at the station you buy the tickets for. One site that works this out for you is Buy a season ticket Regular travellers should be able to save by purchasing either a seven day, monthly or annual season ticket, which will allow them to make the journey an unlimited number of times as long as it's valid. If you're making the same journey on three or more days a week, then a seven-day season ticket is likely to save you money, compared to buying a new one every day. You can check to see if a season ticket will save you money on your trip with National Rail's season ticket calculator. Consider Carnet tickets for London travel If you often travel back and forth to London on the train but you don't go regularly enough to buy season ticket, you might save with a Carnet ticket. They offer a 10% discount on plenty of routes. Tickets are valid for three months and you can buy books of peak (anytime) or off-peak tickets. Book at least 12 weeks in advance Network Rail releases its timetable 12 weeks in advance, so ticket firms usually make their fares available at this time. Just like plane tickets, the earlier you book the lower the price you'll pay for your seat. You can sign up to the Trainline's ticket alert service and it will tell you when cheap advance tickets go on sale for a particular journey. Also, the National Rail's future travel chart shows the furthest advance date that you can buy tickets. Save money with a Railcard If you're a regular traveller then a railcard should shave a third off the price of your ticket. Just make sure you'll make more in savings over a year than the price of the Railcard. See for more information. And in Rachel Reeves' Autumn Budget last October, it was confirmed that travellers would be forced to pay up to 4.6% more for trains. These changes to fares came into effect on March 2 this year. Following the increase, a yearly ticket from Rugby to London rose by £496.62 to £11,292.62. And the commute from Milton Keynes to London leapt by £357.33 to £8,125.33. The budget document said it would be 'the lowest absolute increase in three years". The Department for Transport confirmed "no decision" had been made on next year's fares. A spokesman said: "The Transport Secretary has made clear her number one priority is getting the railways back to a place where people can rely on them. "No decisions have been made on next year's rail fares but our aim is that prices balance affordability for both passengers and taxpayers."
Telegraph
11 hours ago
- Business
- Telegraph
Train passengers face ‘outrageous' fare hike
A potential 5.5 per cent rise in England's train fares next year has been described by public transport groups as 'outrageous'. July's Retail Prices Index (RPI) measure of inflation – which is often used to determine increases in the cost of train travel – will be announced on Wednesday. The Government has not confirmed how it will determine the cap in regulated fare rises for 2026, but this year's 4.6 per cent hike was one percentage point above RPI in July 2024. Banking group Investec has forecast this year's July RPI figure will be 4.5 per cent, which means fares could jump by 5.5 per cent. Bruce Williamson, spokesman for pressure group Railfuture, said 'it would be outrageous' if fares rose by that much. He added: 'What would be the justification for jacking up fares above inflation? There isn't any. 'It's ripping off the customer, driving people off the trains and onto our congested road network, which is in no-one's interest.' Mr Williamson said he would support the Government marking its nationalisation of train operators by freezing fares. He continued: 'One would hope that there would be some efficiency savings and economies of scale that you get from having a more integrated railway. 'But of course, I strongly suspect that if there are any savings to be had, they'd be swallowed up by the Treasury and not passed back to the passengers, which I think is wrong.' Ben Plowden, chief executive of lobby group Campaign for Better Transport, said: 'Rising fares are not just burdening passengers, they are putting people off rail travel. 'Our survey found that 71 per cent of people would be more likely to take the train if fares were cheaper. 'Public support for nationalisation plummets if fares continue to rise, so as the Government progresses plans for Great British Railways (GBR), it must take the opportunity to reform fares and make rail travel more affordable.' GBR is an upcoming public sector body that will oversee Britain's rail infrastructure and train operation. About 45 per cent of fares on Britain's railways are regulated by the Westminster, Scottish and Welsh Governments. They include season tickets on most commuter journeys, some off-peak return tickets on long-distance routes, and flexible tickets for travel around major cities. The Department for Transport (DfT) said there will be an update on changes to regulated fares later this year. Operators set rises in unregulated fares, although these are likely to be very close to regulated ticket increases because their decisions are heavily influenced by governments. A DfT spokesperson said: 'The Transport Secretary has made clear her number one priority is getting the railways back to a place where people can rely on them. 'The Government is putting passengers at the heart of its plans for public ownership and Great British Railways, delivering the services they deserve and driving growth. 'No decisions have been made on next year's rail fares but our aim is that prices balance affordability for both passengers and taxpayers.'
Daily Mail
19 hours ago
- Business
- Daily Mail
Outrageous! Fury at threat to increase rail fares by 5.5%
A potential 5.5 per cent rise in England's train fares next year has been described by public transport groups as 'outrageous'. July's Retail Prices Index (RPI) measure of inflation – which is often used to determine increases in the cost of train travel – will be announced on Wednesday. The Government has not confirmed how it will determine the cap in regulated fare rises for 2026, but this year's 4.6 per cent hike was one percentage point above RPI in July 2024. Banking group Investec has forecast this year's July RPI figure will be 4.5 per cent, which means fares could jump by 5.5 per cent. Bruce Williamson of pressure group Railfuture said 'it would be outrageous' if fares rose by that much. He added: 'What would be the justification for jacking up fares above inflation? There isn't any. 'It's ripping off the customer, driving people off the trains and on to our congested road network, which is in no one's interest.' Mr Williamson said that he would support the Government marking its nationalisation of train operators by freezing fares. He continued: 'One would hope that there would be some efficiency savings and economies of scale that you get from having a more integrated railway. 'But I strongly suspect that if there are any savings to be had, they'd be swallowed up by the Treasury and not passed back to passengers, which I think is wrong.' Ben Plowden, chief executive of the lobby group Campaign for Better Transport, said: 'Rising fares are not just burdening passengers, they are putting people off rail travel. 'Our survey found that 71 per cent of people would be more likely to take the train if fares were cheaper.' Mr Plowden added that Great British Railways – an upcoming public sector body that will oversee the UK's train operations – 'must take the opportunity to reform fares and make rail travel more affordable' because 'public support for nationalisation plummets if fares continue to rise'. About 45 per cent of fares on the country's railways are regulated by either the Westminster Parliament or the Scottish and Welsh governments. They include season tickets on most commuter journeys, some off-peak return tickets on long-distance routes and flexible tickets for travel around major cities. The Department for Transport (DfT) said there will be an update on changes to regulated fares later this year. A DfT spokesman said: 'The Transport Secretary [Heidi Alexander] has made clear her number one priority is getting the railways back to a place where people can rely on them. 'No decisions have been made on next year's rail fares but our aim is that prices balance affordability for both passengers and taxpayers.'
South Wales Guardian
a day ago
- Business
- South Wales Guardian
Rail campaigners say potential 5.5% fares rise would be ‘ripping off' passengers
July's Retail Prices Index (RPI) measure of inflation – which is often used to determine increases in the cost of train travel – will be announced on Wednesday. The Government has not confirmed how it will determine the cap in regulated fare rises for 2026, but this year's 4.6% hike was one percentage point above RPI in July 2024. Banking group Investec has forecast this year's July RPI figure will be 4.5%, which means fares could jump by 5.5%. Bruce Williamson, spokesman for pressure group Railfuture, told the PA news agency 'it would be outrageous' if fares rose by that much. He said: 'What would be the justification for jacking up fares above inflation? There isn't any. 'It's ripping off the customer, driving people off the trains and onto our congested road network, which is in no-one's interest.' Mr Williamson said he would support the Government marking its nationalisation of train operators by freezing fares. He continued: 'One would hope that there would be some efficiency savings and economies of scale that you get from having a more integrated railway. 'But of course, I strongly suspect that if there are any savings to be had, they'd be swallowed up by the Treasury and not passed back to the passengers, which I think is wrong.' Ben Plowden, chief executive of lobby group Campaign for Better Transport, said: 'Rising fares are not just burdening passengers, they are putting people off rail travel. 'Our survey found that 71% of people would be more likely to take the train if fares were cheaper. 'Public support for nationalisation plummets if fares continue to rise, so as the Government progresses plans for Great British Railways (GBR), it must take the opportunity to reform fares and make rail travel more affordable.' GBR is an upcoming public sector body that will oversee Britain's rail infrastructure and train operation. About 45% of fares on Britain's railways are regulated by the Westminster, Scottish and Welsh Governments. They include season tickets on most commuter journeys, some off-peak return tickets on long-distance routes, and flexible tickets for travel around major cities. The Department for Transport (DfT) said there will be an update on changes to regulated fares later this year. Operators set rises in unregulated fares, although these are likely to be very close to regulated ticket increases because their decisions are heavily influenced by governments. A DfT spokesperson said: 'The Transport Secretary has made clear her number one priority is getting the railways back to a place where people can rely on them. 'The Government is putting passengers at the heart of its plans for public ownership and Great British Railways, delivering the services they deserve and driving growth. 'No decisions have been made on next year's rail fares but our aim is that prices balance affordability for both passengers and taxpayers.'
North Wales Chronicle
a day ago
- Business
- North Wales Chronicle
Rail campaigners say potential 5.5% fares rise would be ‘ripping off' passengers
July's Retail Prices Index (RPI) measure of inflation – which is often used to determine increases in the cost of train travel – will be announced on Wednesday. The Government has not confirmed how it will determine the cap in regulated fare rises for 2026, but this year's 4.6% hike was one percentage point above RPI in July 2024. Banking group Investec has forecast this year's July RPI figure will be 4.5%, which means fares could jump by 5.5%. Bruce Williamson, spokesman for pressure group Railfuture, told the PA news agency 'it would be outrageous' if fares rose by that much. He said: 'What would be the justification for jacking up fares above inflation? There isn't any. 'It's ripping off the customer, driving people off the trains and onto our congested road network, which is in no-one's interest.' Mr Williamson said he would support the Government marking its nationalisation of train operators by freezing fares. He continued: 'One would hope that there would be some efficiency savings and economies of scale that you get from having a more integrated railway. 'But of course, I strongly suspect that if there are any savings to be had, they'd be swallowed up by the Treasury and not passed back to the passengers, which I think is wrong.' Ben Plowden, chief executive of lobby group Campaign for Better Transport, said: 'Rising fares are not just burdening passengers, they are putting people off rail travel. 'Our survey found that 71% of people would be more likely to take the train if fares were cheaper. 'Public support for nationalisation plummets if fares continue to rise, so as the Government progresses plans for Great British Railways (GBR), it must take the opportunity to reform fares and make rail travel more affordable.' GBR is an upcoming public sector body that will oversee Britain's rail infrastructure and train operation. About 45% of fares on Britain's railways are regulated by the Westminster, Scottish and Welsh Governments. They include season tickets on most commuter journeys, some off-peak return tickets on long-distance routes, and flexible tickets for travel around major cities. The Department for Transport (DfT) said there will be an update on changes to regulated fares later this year. Operators set rises in unregulated fares, although these are likely to be very close to regulated ticket increases because their decisions are heavily influenced by governments. A DfT spokesperson said: 'The Transport Secretary has made clear her number one priority is getting the railways back to a place where people can rely on them. 'The Government is putting passengers at the heart of its plans for public ownership and Great British Railways, delivering the services they deserve and driving growth. 'No decisions have been made on next year's rail fares but our aim is that prices balance affordability for both passengers and taxpayers.'
