Rail fares rise by 5.9% from today in blow for cash-strapped commuters
Train travellers will pay more for tickets from today as rail fares rise by 5.9% in England and Wales.
Previous analysis by Labour found the average fares will rise to 58% more than they were in 2010, twice as fast as wages.
The average commuter faces paying a staggering £3,466 for their season ticket - £1,272, more than in 2010.
The increase will be automatically applied to regulated rail fares, such as season, anytime day, off-peak and super off-peak tickets.
But the Rail Delivery Group, which represents rail companies in England, told MoneySavingExpert it expects unregulated fares to rise by 5.9% as well.
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Unregulated fares are set by train companies and include advance, anytime, off-peak day and first class fares.
Tube and bus fares in London are also going up by 5.9% from today.
Regulated rail fares are usually linked to the Retail Prices Index (RPI) measure of inflation for the previous July, which for 2022 was 12.3%.
The Department for Transport (DfT) confirmed it would cap the rise at 5.9% instead in a statement last December.
Transport Secretary Mark Harper said at the time: “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.
“This is a fair balance between the passengers who use our trains and the taxpayers who help pay for them.”
Public transport fares in Northern Ireland will rise by 7% from tomorrow (March 6).
Scotland had not announced any train fare increases at the time of writing.
How to save money on the trains
There are plenty of ways to cut down the cost of your commute.
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First of all, plan your journey as far in advance as possible to get discounted fares.
Cheaper tickets are normally released 12 weeks ahead of time, so be prepared to book up in advance.
See as well if you can split your journey to save costs.
This involves splitting your journey up into different bits, so you're buying lots of multiple tickets instead of just one single ticket.
It is also worth checking if you'd benefit from getting a rail card to save between 30% and 50% off the price of your fare.
Finally, if you're a regular traveller, see if you'd save money by purchasing a season ticket.
How much you could save depends on how often you travel but it can add up to hundreds of pounds.
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