Rail fare rises capped

ON December 17, the UK Government confirmed that the 2022 rail fare rise will be 3.8%, below the then retail price inflation rate of 7.1%. The Government will not increase fares by RPI plus 1%, as it did in 2021. Until the pandemic, fares were raised in January each year by a formula based on the RPI rate of the previous July, six months before.

2022’s increase has been postponed to March. The Government maintains a rise is necessary to contribute towards the cost of keeping rail services running during the pandemic, as well as helping to pay for service increases and improvements.