How will the rail fare hikes affect me?

Regulated fares including season and off-peak return tickets will increase by 4.9 per cent from 3 March next year

Regulated rail fares in England will increase by nearly five per cent next year as the cost of tickets are expected to rise faster than inflation.

The Department for Transport announced the 4.9 per cent cap for increases to most fares, including season tickets, some off-peak return tickets and flexibile tickets, to come into place from 3 March 2024.

Annual increases to regulated rail fares are usually linked to the previous July’s retail prices index (RPI) measure of inflation, which for 2023 stood at 9 per cent.

But what do the rail fare hikes mean, and how will they affect you? The Independent has put together a comparative list of affected fares below.

Regulated rail fares will increase by 4.9 per cent from 3 March next year (PA Archive)

What is a regulated and unregulated rail fare?

A regulated rail fare is the cost of a ticket controlled by the government. This includes seasons tickets, anytime day tickets, off-peak and super off-peak tickets.

An unregulated fare is the cost of a ticket set by the train company. This includes first class, advance any time and off-peak day tickets.

Regulated	Unregulated
Season tickets	First class
Anytime day	Advance
Off-peak	Anytime
Super off-peak	Off-peak day

How will the fare increase affect you?

It is not clear how much the price of an unregulated ticket will increase by next year. But the regulated cost is a devolved issue, so will vary across England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

The Scottish Government announced on Wednesday 20 December that all ScotRail fares will rise by 8.7 per cent from 1 April 2024.

In England, all season tickets, anytime day, off-peak and super off-peak fares will increase by 4.9 per cent. The Northern Irish and Welsh governments have not announced how much fares in those nations will increase by next year yet.

The price of a Brighton to London annual season ticket could rise by £275 in 2024. Meanwhile, the cost of a Huddersfield to Manchester annual season ticket could increase by as much as £151.

Route	Old price	Increase	New price
Brighton to London	£5616	+4.9 per cent	£5891
Huddersfield to Manchester	£3076	+4.9 per cent	£3227
Swansea to Cardiff	£2068	+4.9 per cent	£2169

Mark Harper, the transport secretary, 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.

“Changed working patterns after the pandemic means that our railways are still losing money and require significant subsidies, so this rise strikes a balance to keep our railways running, while not overburdening passengers.”

But shadow transport secretary, Louise Haigh, added: “The Tories have just announced another brutal bumper rise in rail fares. With passengers facing record delays and cancellations and delays, this is an insult to millions.”