Rail fares in England next year are to be frozen for the first time in 30 years, the government has announced.The freeze until March 2027 will apply to regulated fares, which includes season tickets and off-peak returns.The most recent fare rise, in March 2025, was 4.6%. Rail fares traditionally have gone up in January, based on the July rate of the retail price index (RPI) + 1% – although this formula has not always been followed.The announcement comes days before the chancellor sets out the government’s financial plans in the Budget on Wednesday, with Rachel Reeves indicating that cutting the cost of living will be a key focus.However, at the same time the chancellor is also widely expected to increase taxes to help fill a multibillion-pound gap in her spending plans.The government said freezing rail fares was intended to “directly limit inflation” by holding down “a major component of everyday costs”.Since 2021, the annual increase has come in March instead of January.A government source acknowledged it was possible unregulated fares would still rise, but insisted they usually followed regulated fares.Unregulated fares increased by 5.5% in the year to March 2025, 1.1% above regulated fares – with a total increase in rail fares of 5.1% in that period. The Rail Delivery Group, a representative body made up of the UK’s rail operators, said the freeze would be “good news for customers”.”We want our railways to thrive, that’s why we’re committed to working with government to ensure upcoming railway reforms deliver real benefits for …
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[mwai_chat context=”Let’s have a discussion about this article:nnRail fares in England next year are to be frozen for the first time in 30 years, the government has announced.The freeze until March 2027 will apply to regulated fares, which includes season tickets and off-peak returns.The most recent fare rise, in March 2025, was 4.6%. Rail fares traditionally have gone up in January, based on the July rate of the retail price index (RPI) + 1% – although this formula has not always been followed.The announcement comes days before the chancellor sets out the government’s financial plans in the Budget on Wednesday, with Rachel Reeves indicating that cutting the cost of living will be a key focus.However, at the same time the chancellor is also widely expected to increase taxes to help fill a multibillion-pound gap in her spending plans.The government said freezing rail fares was intended to “directly limit inflation” by holding down “a major component of everyday costs”.Since 2021, the annual increase has come in March instead of January.A government source acknowledged it was possible unregulated fares would still rise, but insisted they usually followed regulated fares.Unregulated fares increased by 5.5% in the year to March 2025, 1.1% above regulated fares – with a total increase in rail fares of 5.1% in that period. The Rail Delivery Group, a representative body made up of the UK’s rail operators, said the freeze would be “good news for customers”.”We want our railways to thrive, that’s why we’re committed to working with government to ensure upcoming railway reforms deliver real benefits for …nnDiscussion:nn” ai_name=”RocketNews AI: ” start_sentence=”Can I tell you more about this article?” text_input_placeholder=”Type ‘Yes'”]
