Rail fares set to rise by 6.2%

It is likely that rail fares will rise by an average of 6.2% in England next year, but a degree of flexibility about how train companies apply this hike means that your ticket price could rise by as much as 11.2%. Here's how a 6.2% rise would affect some season tickets:

• Reading to London - £3,800 up to £4,036
• Edinburgh to Glasgow - £3,380 up to £3,590
• Preston to Manchester - £2,496 up to £2,651
• Northampton to London - £4,756 up to £5,051
• Brighton to London - £4,020 up to £4,269
• York to Leeds - £1,972 up to £2,094

The Guardian has published this advice on finding the cheaper rail tickets in light of price hikes expected next year. See the full article here.

• Buy a ticket that suits your lifestyle. Season tickets in particular can be very flexible.
• Replace your annual season ticket before the end of the year.
• Buy early. Cheap advance tickets are often released 12 weeks before.
• Get off-peak tickets by travelling after 9:30am and 6:44pm.

• The Trainline website runs an alert system for advance tickets.

The CEO of the Association of Train Operating Companies (ATOC) has told ITV News that the rules which allow train companies to raise some fares by as much as 11.2% are the result of Government policy.

Under a process called "flexing" train companies can control price rises on different tickets as long as the average rise is below a cap.

Michael Roberts said the Government had a policy to maximise the revenue it receives from train companies and reduce the burden on the taxpayer.

The former transport secretary Lord Adonis has tweeted in response to today's news that rail fares could rise by an average of 6.2% in England, and by as much as 11% on certain tickets.

Julian Huppert, co-chairman of the Liberal Democrat Parliamentary Party Committee on Transport, has blamed the current high price of rail tickets in the UK on the previous Labour Government. He said:

Bob Crow, the head of the Rail, Maritime and Transport Union, is calling on the Government to nationalise the rail network in response to the prospect of a 6.2% rise in average rail fares next year.

Unions and transport campaigners are outraged at the prospect of a 6.2% hike in average ticket prices in England, with some prices potentially rising by as much as 11%.

The independent advice website moneyfacts.co.uk has given the following advice for savers trying to beat the increase in CPI inflation announced today:

• Basic rate taxpayers need to find a savings account paying at least 3.25% per annum, of which there are about 227 to choose from.
• Higher rate taxpayers need to find an account paying at least 4.30%. There is only one such account on the market at present.

The Labour party has said that it would cap rail fare rises at one percent above the PRI rate of inflation. It is currently capped at three percent in England. Maria Eagle MP, the shadow transport secretary, said:

Union members and transport campaigners gathered outside Waterloo Station in London today to protest against likely rises to rail fares in the new year.