Regulated train fares in England set to rise by an average of 3.5 per cent next January

19 August 2014

Responding to news that inflation as measured by the Retail Prices Index (RPI) in July 2014 was 2.5 per cent, David Sidebottom, Passenger Focus director, said:

“Many passengers will be concerned about today’s news giving the latest inflation figures which determine regulated train fares from January next year.  If this follows some previous years of RPI +1 per cent1, this could mean, on average, that fares will increase by 3.5 per cent next January.  We know from our own research that value for money is a key priority for rail passengers. Our most recent National Rail Passenger Survey put passenger satisfaction on value for money amongst commuters as low as 31 per cent.  This level of fare increase puts more pressure on the railways to ensure passengers get an excellent service for the money they are paying.”

“We hope the government will step in again as it did last year, to ensure that train fares in England do not rise above the rate of inflation announced today.”

 

Notes

  1. The fare raise policy for January 2013 was RPI +1% based on the July 2012 inflation figure.  The Department for Transport announced last autumn that the fare rise for 2014 would be RPI +0%.  We await their decision for the fare rise in January 2015
  2. Office of National Statistics – http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/cpi/consumer-price-indices/july-2014/index.html
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