23 November 2025 - Zero inflation increase for *regulated* fares
Neil Middleton, Railfuture Vice Chair said
We were pleased to hear of today’s fare freeze announcement. It applies to regulated fares. So:
- There’s the risk that unregulated fares (which are often used for leisure travel) will have inflationary increases. These include Advance and many off-peak tickets. We hope that this won't be the case.
- We hope that there won’t be service cuts (whether reductions in train numbers or shorter trains) to save money so as to balance the books. A railway that meets passenger needs through frequency, reliability. comfort etc will encourage more journeys, leading to an increase in total revenue, not a reduction.
- We hope that investment outside the three headline projects (HS2, Transpennine Upgrade and East West Rail) will continue.
The Government announcement: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/first-rail-freeze-in-30-years-to-ease-the-cost-of-living
Neil was interviewed by the BBC and was both heard and seen on TV and Radio on Sunday - see on YouTube - and Bruce Williamson was interviewed on LBC News - Listen here.