Regulated
fares


on
most
National
Rail
routes
in
England
and
Wales
will
rise
by
4.9
per
cent
on
Sunday,
but
fares
on
Transport
for
London
and
Merseyrail
have
been
frozen,
while
the
Mayor
of
London
has
announced
that
peak
fares
will
not
be
charged
on
Fridays
from
8
March,
the
day
which
has
become
the
quietest
for
commuting.
The
suspension
of
peak
rates
is
a
trial
which
will
run
until
31
May,
and
has
been
agreed
by
National
Rail
operators
for
journeys
on
their
trains
within
the
TfL
area.

Scotland,
meanwhile,
has
abolished
all
peak
fares
until
June
at
least,
but
following
an
‘extended
freeze’
for
season
tickets
and
flexipasses,
all
ScotRail
fares
will
increase
by
8.7
per
cent
next
month.

TfL
said
its
experiment
with
Friday
fares
would
be
‘keenly
watched
by
major
cities
looking
to
bounce
back
after
the
pandemic’,
including
public
transport
operators
in
other
countries,
who
are
also
feeling
the
long-term
economic
effects
of
the
lockdowns.
Dutch
Railways,
for
example,
has
warned
that
it
will
have
to
make
‘a
significant
increase’
to
domestic
fares
in
the
Netherlands
next
year,
because
revenue
has
not
returned
to
pre-Covid
levels.

The
Government
said
its
decision
to
keep
the
National
Rail
rise
to
4.9
per
cent
was
a
‘significant
intervention’,
because
the
increase
is
‘considerably
below’
the
9
per
cent
of
last
July’s
RPI,
which
usually
the
basis
of
fare
changes
the
following
year.

However,
Michael
Solomon
Williams
of
the
Campaign
for
Better
Transport
said:
‘Travelling
by
train
is
always
greener
than
driving,
and
it’s
getting
even
greener
as
more
rail
routes
are
electrified.
It
is
often
quicker
too,
but
what
we
now
need
to
do
is
to
ensure
it
is
also
cheaper.
Next
week’s
rail
fare
rise
will
do
little
to
address
the
rising
cost
of
rail
travel,
so
we
urge
Government
to
expedite
rail
reforms
to
help
make
trains
more
affordable.
Businesses
can
also
do
their
bit
to
reduce
transport
emissions
by
having
a
“rail
first”
travel
policy
and
encouraging
employees
to
take
the
train
when
travelling
with
work.’