As rail fares go up again... Commuters paying 43% more than a decade ago

THE average commuter is paying 43 per cent more on their rail fare than a decade ago as prices rise again.

From today, season tickets will go up by 2.6 per cent, the first above-inflation rise since 2013.

The cost of an average annual pass will jump from £3,064 to £3,144.

Analysis of 180 train routes shows prices have shot up by an average £950 since 2010, or 43 per cent when the latest hike is included.

Some commuters are paying £3,450 more than at the start of last decade, with the price of an annual pass on one route soaring 63 per cent. It also means average fares have risen two-and-a-half times faster than wages.

Fares usually rise annually in January but were delayed this year due to the pandemic, and to give commut ers more time to buy annual season tickets before the latest rise.

The yearly hike is usually linked to the retail prices index (RPI), a measure of inflation which was announced as 1.6 per cent in July.

But from today it will leap an extra 1 per cent amid Treasury concerns over the ballooning cost of propping up rail firms during the pandemic, which could hit £10billion by April.

But in a more positive step, commuters could be offered flexible season tickets to get staff back into offices. Department for Transport sources said they would be available at English stations by July, in time for No10 plans to relax the ‘work from home’ message by June 21. Commuters would use them two or three days a week, saving them hundreds. Millions are set to continue working partly from home as lockdown eases. Campaigners said the latest rise along with home-working meant commuters should be offered more flexible options. A ‘pay-as-yougo’ system like the London Underground’s Oyster scheme is among other options they want ministers to explore. Today’s 2.6 per cent figure relates to regulated fares, covering around half of all journeys.

Jim McMahon, Labour’s transport spokesman, said: ‘This fare hike will make rail unaffordable for many and discourage people from getting back on to the network when lockdown restrictions ease.’

Analysis by the party found the highest increase since 2010 will be for a Virgin Trains season ticket between Birmingham and London Euston, rising by £3,467 to around £11,204 from today. The biggest percentage rise was for fares between Tame Bridge Parkway, near Walsall in the West Midlands, and Nuneaton, where an annual pass has surged 63 per cent since 2010.

Anthony Smith, of independent watchdog Transport Focus, said: ‘Today’s fare increase makes it even more important that, when travel restrictions start to be lifted, the industry is able to attract people back by offering fares that match how we know people hope to live, work and travel in future.’

Robert Nisbet, of the Rail Delivery Group, representing operators, said: ‘We want the whole country to benefit from a new, more flexible system where people pay-as-they-go and automatically get the best deal...’

Last night a DfT source confirmed plans to introduce more flexible fares. A spokesman said today’s rise was ‘the lowest in four years’.

‘It’ll make train travel unaffordable’