Train fares will increase on average by 3.1% next year, the Rail Delivery Group have announced this morning.

The increase, they say,is the fourth time in the last six years that fares have been held below the previous July’s RPI inflation rate.

However the increases have already come under attack given the summer rail chaos across the networks.

The Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham tweeted

“How on earth can this possibly be justified in the North of England, where the daily chaos continues?”

Anthony Smith, chief executive of the independent watchdog Transport Focus, says:

“Many passengers, still reeling from summer timetable chaos and frustrated by ‘autumn’ disruption, won’t believe fares are going up again! Until day-to-day reliability returns – with fewer significant delays and cancellations – passenger trust won’t begin to recover.

“Passengers now pour over £10 billion a year into the rail industry alongside significant government investment, so the rail industry cannot be short of funding. When will this translate into a more reliable railway and better value for money for passengers?

“It’s also time for a fairer, clearer fares formula based on a calculation that uses the Consumer Prices Index, rather than the discredited Retail Price Index.”

Paul Plummer, Chief Executive of the Rail Delivery Group, which brings together train companies and Network Rail, said:

“Nobody wants to pay more to travel, especially those who experienced significant disruption earlier this year.

“Money from fares is underpinning the improvements to the railway that passengers want and which ultimately help boost the wider economy. That means more seats, extra services and better connections right across the country.”

Successive governments have decided that farepayers should cover a greater proportion of the cost of running the railway, freeing up taxpayer funding for record levels of investment in infrastructure to improve journeys and support economic growth. Governments directly influence changes to around 45% of fares which are regulated, including season tickets.

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