UK rail passengers will face further increases in train fares from the spring, including a 4.9 per cent rise in prices for journeys in England.
The UK government announced that the latest annual price cap on regulated rail fares in England would take effect from 3 March 2024. The 4.9 per cent increase compares with a 5.9 per cent rise in 2023.
Passengers in Scotland face an even higher increase with ScotRail fares due to go up by 8.7 per cent from April 2024. This year’s fare rises in Wales and Northern Ireland have yet to be announced.
The UK government emphasised that its cap on 2024’s fare increases in England was “significantly lower” than July’s retail price index (RPI) rate of 9 per cent, which has historically been used to set the following year’s rise in ticket prices. Although RPI in the UK had dropped to 5.3 per cent by November.
Transport secretary Mark Harper 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.
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