Train Commuting Costs on the Rise Again!

At the start of the new year the last thing you want to hear is that your journey to work is going to cost more. Unfortunately the travel companies don't take this into account when announcing their new fares. Prices have risen across the board with rail season ticket fares rising by an average of 3.1% from the first week of January.

In some cases train commuters may find themselves paying more than £5,000 a year for travel. For example annual season tickets to London from Deal or Dover Priory in Kent now costing £5,012.

Passengers now paying more than £4,000 for a year's commuting include those who who travel from Basingstoke to London. Their annual fare rises to £4,076.

This 3.1% rise is for regulated fares which are only allowed to rise at a certain rate, which include all season tickets. However when you consider unregulated fares, typically off-peak leisure tickets, the rise is not capped.

The increase was going to be even greater, until Chancellor George Osborne announced in his Autumn Statement in early December that the regulated fare price cap of RPI inflation plus 1% was being changed to RPI plus 0%.

Fares for both Tube and National Rail trips within London will rise by an average 2.7% on 19 January. The rise in London is later than planned and is slightly lower than first announced, as the Chancellor's move affected the price of the capital's Travelcard tickets.

If you would like a guide for getting the cheapest train tickets you possibly can, check out this helpful guide.