Highest rail fare rise in a decade ‘will do nothing to help people meet rising travel costs’

5 March 2023

“Pressing ahead with the largest fare rise in a decade will do nothing to encourage more people to take the train or help people struggling to meet rising travel costs, and it certainly doesn’t make up for a year of disruption on the railways. This rise is especially frustrating given the cuts to fuel duty and air passenger duty. Instead of discounting the most polluting forms of transport, it’s about time the Government based transport costs on carbon emissions: the lower the emissions, the lower the cost.”

Campaign for Better Transport analysis of season ticket costs reveals that the average season ticket into London has gone up by £281 today, with some commuters facing increases of up to £380 (Southampton to London). Commuting into Leeds will now cost on average £58 more from today; commuting into Birmingham has gone up on average £124; people travelling into Liverpool each day will have to fork out an extra £84 on average; commuters heading to Bristol will be paying on average £139 more; and the average season ticket into Manchester stations has gone up by £96 today.

ENDS

See examples of 2023 season ticket increases for passengers travelling into London
See examples of 2023 season ticket increases for passengers travelling to regional stations

For further information please contact the press office on 07984 773 468 (calls only no texts) or communications@bettertransport.org.uk

Notes to Editors

1. Rail fares went up by 5.9% today. This is the annual fare rise which this year was postponed until March and was capped below RPI at 5.9%. This still represents the highest fare rise in a decade (fares rose at 6% in 2012).
2. Regulated rail fares, including standard day returns, season tickets and most commuter fares, make up almost half (45 per cent) of all fares and increases are set by the Government. In previous years, fares have risen by RPI, based on the previous July’s RPI figure. This year, the Government announced it would peg the 2023 fare rise to the previous July’s average earnings growth instead of RPI.
3. In May 2021, the Government published the long-awaited Williams-Shapps Plan for Rail, which promised a fundamental reorganisation of the rail sector and a ‘root and branch’ reform of the ticketing system’ to provide a better deal for rail passengers.
4. Campaign for Better Transport operates in England and Wales. Campaign for Better Transport’s vision is for all communities to have access to high quality, sustainable transport that meets their needs, improves quality of life and protects the environment. Campaign for Better Transport Charitable Trust is a registered charity (1101929).