Rail Season Tickets To Rise 2.5% From January

Rachel Holdsworth
By Rachel Holdsworth Last edited 111 months ago
Rail Season Tickets To Rise 2.5% From January

Photo by Linda Wisdom from the Londonist Flickr pool

National rail fares are rising by an average of 2.2% from January — although if you're a season ticket holder, your credit card will take a beating of an extra 2.5% above 2014 prices.

These fares are rail only — full fare information for the tube etc is available from Transport for London — so mainly affects longer distance commuters. Anyone buying annual season tickets to travel from Folkestone Central or Canterbury East into London, you get the dubious honour of being inducted into the £5,000 club. That's how much your ticket will now cost, and that doesn't even include the tube. Or high speed trains. Or travelling to St Pancras. And if you commute from Hereford, do let us know if First Great Western gold-plate the carriages in return for your £10k+ annual ticket.

The BBC has an interesting information nugget to explain why we're paying so much. In 2013, passengers paid for 59.2% of the rail industry, in accordance with the conservative doctrine of 'user pays'. That means taxpayer subsidy is less — the percentage the travelling public pays for is up 2% from 2012, and 4% from 2011 — but it's not helpful if you're an individual counting the pennies during the current wage stagnation.

Last Updated 05 December 2014