Rail prices to increase by 3.8% from March 2022

A train ticket between Rochdale and Manchester

Train ticket prices will rise by the largest amount in nearly a decade next year.

From 1 March, train fares will rise by 3.8%, the steepest increase since January 2013, according to figures from industry body the Rail Delivery Group.

The forthcoming price hike will bring the average UK season ticket to £3,263 – a £119 price increase.

The government says the price increase is ‘fair’ as it is below the current 7.1% retail price index (RPI) measure of inflation.

Price increases are usually put in practice on the first working day of each year but have been pushed back to March due to the pandemic. Rail fares increased by 2.6% in March 2021.

Rail Minister Chris Heaton-Harris said: “Capping rail fares in line with inflation while tying it to the July RPI strikes a fair balance, ensuring we can continue to invest records amounts into a more modern, reliable railway, ease the burden on taxpayers and protect passengers from the highest RPI in years.

“Delaying the changes until March 2022 offers people the chance to save money by renewing their fares at last year’s price. That includes the 100,000 people who are already making savings with cheaper and more convenient flexible season tickets.”

Paul Tuohy, Chief Executive of Campaign for Better Transport, said: "This fare rise is far from fair.

"Rail fares should have been frozen to match the fuel duty freeze for car drivers. If the government is serious about shrinking transport's carbon footprint it should make rail the affordable choice. Instead, it is asking some commuters to pay hundreds of pounds more for their season tickets, which risks driving people off rail and onto roads instead."

Rochdale MP Sir Tony Lloyd has condemned the price hike, saying: “Many families in Rochdale are already struggling to make ends meet this Christmas, and will now be clobbered with an eye-watering rise in the cost of the commute.

“The worst part is that the communities who will feel the brunt of years of broken promises, empty words and no action are at the same time being squeezed by tax hikes and rising bills.”