£10,200 for annual fare to London

Commuters are set to see train fares rise again in January and those commuting to and from Bath will be affected. Season ticket prices are set based on the July inflation figures, which were released on Wednesday last week. These show that the Retail Price Index (RPI) was 3.2 per cent in July, which means train companies will be able to raise prices by up to this amount. But only regulated fares are set using the July RPI figure. This covers about 40 per cent of tickets, including off-peak returns on longer journeys, season tickets and anytime fares. And not all regulated fares will rise by the RPI amount. Train companies can choose to increase some, keep others the same or even reduce fares on some routes. The RPI amount just caps the maximum increase for regulated fares. An annual season ticket between Bath Spa and London Paddington currently costs £9,916, if the price increases by the maximum 3.2 per cent, commuters face paying an extra £317 taking it to £10,233. An annual season ticket between Bath Spa and Bristol Parkway currently costs £1,780, a similar 3.2 per cnet rise will add £57 to the fare, totalling £1,837. Prices for other unregulated tickets, like super off-peak and advance, are set by train companies in December. The rail fare changes have to be agreed by the body that regulates the fares, the Department for Transport in England, and the Welsh and Scottish governments. In Scotland, while season tickets could go up by the full RPI amount, the Scottish Government has capped other regulated fares at RPI minus one percentage point at 2.2. Transport Secretary Chris Grayling has called for future rail fare increases to be based on the lower Consumer Prices Index - rather than the higher Retail Prices Index.