Major increase for commuters as rail fares frozen for first time in 30 years
The Chancellor Rachel Reeves is set to freeze rail fares at the Budget, saving existing rail passengers £600 million in 2026/27, across more than a billion train journeys
Millions of commuters across the UK are set to save after the first freeze on rail fares for 30 years.
The Chancellor is set to freeze fares at the Budget, saving existing rail passengers £600 million in 2026/27, across more than a billion train journeys.
With ticket prices soaring by 60% under the Tories, passengers can now enjoy not paying a penny more on season tickets, peak returns for commuters and off-peak returns between major cities. Speaking exclusively to The Sunday Mirror, Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander accused the Tories of putting profits before the public, something finally fixed under Labour.
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She said: “Fares have gone up pretty much every year in the last 30 years, and I think that’s something that’s really angered the public.
“If you look at the way in which Conservative ministers ran the railways, they allowed the private sector to cream off profits whilst delivering an unreliable service.
“We’re saving 150 million pounds a year in the management fees that the Conservative Government were paying out to train operating companies.
“We’re putting passengers before shareholders, we’re putting the travelling public before profits and I think that is what people will want to see from a Labour government when it comes to improving their experience of the rail network.”
A typical commuter travelling to work 3 days a week using flexi-season tickets, will save £315 per year travelling from Milton Keynes to London, £173 per year travelling from Woking to London and £57 per year travelling from Bradford to Leeds.
The freeze will apply to all regulated fares, including seasons, peak returns for commuters and off-peak returns between major cities, benefitting more than a billion passenger journeys across England.
Ms Alexander called the decision a “statement” from the Government, and one about helping the public with the cost of living.
She said: “We’re determined to ensure that when it comes to the rail network that Britain’s hard working families can keep more of their hard-earned cash.
“Fares have gone up relentlessly over the last decade or so, if you look at what happened between 2010 and 2024 under the Conservative government, we saw a 60% increase and we can’t go on like that.”
The announcement comes as part of a wider plan to help with the cost of living, with Labour already freezing NHS prescription charges in England, and speculation Rachel Reeves will eliminate the 5% VAT charge on electricity bills.
The Government is set to go further and faster on improving travel with plans to rebuild a publicly owned Great British Railway (GBR), which will introduce tap in tap out digital ticketing, alongside investing in superfast WiFi.
Ms Reeves said: “Next week at the Budget I’ll set out the fair choices to deliver on the country’s priorities to cut NHS waiting lists, cut national debt and cut the cost of living.
“That’s why we’re choosing to freeze rail fares for the first time in 30 years, which will ease the pressure on household finances and make travelling to work, school or to visit friends and family that bit easier.”
