Rail fares in England will increase by up almost 6% from March 5, capping a torrid period for passengers hit by ongoing strikes, cancellations and delays.
The cap for regulated fares, such as season tickets on most commuter journeys, is much lower than current inflation figure on which annual rises are usually based.
Transport secretary Mark Harper said the increase was “a fair balance between the passengers who use our trains and the taxpayers who help pay for them.”
"This is the biggest-ever government intervention in rail fares,” he said.
“I'm capping the rise well below inflation to help reduce the impact on passengers. It has been a difficult year and the impact of inflation is being felt across the UK economy.
“We do not want to add to the problem.”
Labour called the increase “brutal” and said the “savage fare hike will be a sick joke for millions reliant on crumbling services.”
“People up and down this country are paying the price for twelve years of Tory failure,” said shadow transport secretary Louise Haigh.
The DfT has set a cap of 5.9% for the increases – well under the current 12.3% figure for inflation used to calculate the change.
Data for standard class fares shows it would be the largest annual rise since a 6.2% jump in 2012.
David Sidebottom, director at watchdog Transport Focus, said: "No-one likes prices going up. In our latest research, less than half of passengers think the railway currently performs well on delivering value for money tickets.
“After months of unreliable services and strike disruption, it's clear that too many passengers are not getting a value for money service.
“Capping fares below inflation and the delay until March is welcome and will go some way to easing the pain, but the need for reform of fares and ticketing in the longer-term must not be forgotten.”
Individual train companies set unregulated fares, although their decisions are heavily influenced by the government due to contracts introduced during the Covid pandemic.
Examples of annual season ticket rises based on a 5.9% hike include:
– Woking to London: Up £216 from £3,664 to £3,880.
– Liverpool to Manchester (any route): Up £169 from £2,864 to £3,033.
– Gloucester to Birmingham: Up £274 from £4,636 to £4,910.
