Rail fares to jump by 4.9pc

PASSENGERS face paying hundreds of pounds more for their rail fares next year after the Government announced an inflation-busting increase in ticket prices.

Regulated fares in England will rise by up to 4.9pc on March 3 next year, the Department for Transport said, in a move described by passengers as “another unwelcome price hike”.

The increase in prices is well ahead of the latest reading for inflation, with the consumer prices index measuring at 3.9pc in November.

Season tickets on most commuter journeys are affected, along with some off-peak return tickets on long-distance routes and flexible tickets for travel around major cities.

The increase could add £190 to an annual season ticket from Woking to London, taking the cost from £3,880 to £4,070.

It could also mean that flexible season tickets for travel between Liverpool and Manchester on two days per week over a year rise by £92.60 from £1,890 to £1,982.60.

A spokesman for watchdog London TravelWatch said: “These new rail fares will see already hard-pressed passengers hit with another unwelcome price hike. Reform to rail fares and tick- eting could not be more urgent now.”

The Government has previously used the July measure of the retail prices index (RPI) as a benchmark for setting the subsequent year’s rail prices. However, for the last two years it has shunned the measure, which stood at 9pc in July this year.

RPI is no longer considered fit to be counted as an official statistic by the Office for National Statistics on account of its volatility.

Last year, rail fares were increased by 5.9pc.

Mark Harper, the Trans- port Secretary, said: “Having met our target of halving inflation across the economy, this is a significant intervention by the Government to cap the increase in rail fares below last year’s rise.”