Train Fares Set for Lowest Rise

Train fares are set to rise by the lowest rate since rail privatisation in the mid-1990s, according to the Association of Train Operating Companies (ATOC). It announced that fares will increase by an average of 1.1% in January 2010.

Regulated fares, which include season tickets, will fall by 0.4%. However, it’s not all good news - unregulated fares including cheap day returns are expected to go up.

Train at platform


About 40% of all fares are regulated ones and will fall because they are capped at RPI inflation plus 1%, based on July's inflation rate of minus 1.4%. However, ATOC has not disclosed what the average unregulated fare increase would be, opting instead to combine the two figures to give the 1.1% rise.

Among the changes for individual train companies, First Great Western will increase unregulated fares by an average of 2.47%, with some rises of nearly 4%. 

ATOC chief executive Michael Roberts said the changes were good news for the vast majority of passengers:
“Not only is January’s average fare rise the lowest since privatisation, but it will come in well below the rate of inflation, meaning a real terms cut in prices for many passengers.

Anthony Smith, chief executive of rail watchdog Passenger Focus, welcomed the overall level of the rise, but issued a warning for passengers:
"Many unregulated fares will continue to soar above inflation as the average figures published today will mask steep rises on individual routes. We call upon the industry to be clear about which fares are going up and to publish average increases for unregulated fares for each train operating company."

Research published by Passenger Focus earlier this year showed that Britain has some of the most expensive fares in Europe.