Train fares: everyone knows they’re wrong, but no government is brave enough to fix them
1 year ago

Train fares: everyone knows they’re wrong, but no government is brave enough to fix them

The Independent  

Sign up to Simon Calder’s free travel email for expert advice and money-saving discounts Get Simon Calder’s Travel email Get Simon Calder’s Travel email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. The general secretary of the biggest rail union, Mick Lynch, called the rise a “slap in the face” for travellers, with “massive fare increases proving once again what a categorical failure the fragmented privatised system is”. Between Bristol and London, for example, nobody who’s aware of “split ticketing” would ever dream of buying a ticket straight through. Examples of good practice and the way ahead do exist: on days when Northern is actually running trains, I routinely buy a ticket for a specific train as I walk to the station in Blackpool or Bridlington, because I know from plenty of experience that the excellent Northern app will offer a reasonable price.

Train Fare Way Ticket Rail Rise  way  fix  rail  system  brave  fare  travel  fares  wrong  rise  trains  theyre  train  ticket  worse  knows

History of this topic

Want lower rail fares to lure people out of their cars? We need a rail revolution
3 weeks ago

Want lower rail fares to lure people out of their cars? We need a rail revolution

The Independent  

Sign up to Simon Calder’s free travel email for expert advice and money-saving discounts Get Simon Calder’s Travel email Get Simon Calder’s Travel email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Ms Hockley’s sensible question usually gets a stock answer: the railways cost a fixed amount to run, roughly £25bn a …

Split ticket savings: How exploiting Britain’s barmy train fares could cut the cost of your travel
Trending News
3 weeks, 1 day ago

Split ticket savings: How exploiting Britain’s barmy train fares could cut the cost of your travel

The Independent  

Sign up to Simon Calder’s free travel email for expert advice and money-saving discounts Get Simon Calder’s Travel email Get Simon Calder’s Travel email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. On 2 March 2025 ticket prices went up by an average of 4.6 per cent in England and Wales; from …

Simon Calder reveals his tricks to finding cheap train tickets
3 weeks, 6 days ago

Simon Calder reveals his tricks to finding cheap train tickets

The Independent  

Sign up to Simon Calder’s free travel email for expert advice and money-saving discounts Get Simon Calder’s Travel email Get Simon Calder’s Travel email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Rail retailers – as opposed to train operators – can add a fee on top of the 5 per cent …

Simon Calder reveals how to find the cheapest train tickets
1 month ago

Simon Calder reveals how to find the cheapest train tickets

The Independent  

Sign up to Simon Calder’s free travel email for expert advice and money-saving discounts Get Simon Calder’s Travel email Get Simon Calder’s Travel email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Rail retailers – as opposed to train operators – can add a fee on top of the 5 per cent …

Rail strikes, fare rises and broken signals: Why train passengers nationwide facing continued misery this year
1 month, 1 week ago

Rail strikes, fare rises and broken signals: Why train passengers nationwide facing continued misery this year

The Independent  

Sign up to Simon Calder’s free travel email for expert advice and money-saving discounts Get Simon Calder’s Travel email Get Simon Calder’s Travel email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. open image in gallery A combination of toxic industrial relations, widespread infrastructure failures and repeated line closures could undermine travellers’ …

Tube and rail fares in London to rise by 4.6% in March ‘to fund key projects’
3 months, 1 week ago

Tube and rail fares in London to rise by 4.6% in March ‘to fund key projects’

The Independent  

Sign up to Simon Calder’s free travel email for expert advice and money-saving discounts Get Simon Calder’s Travel email Get Simon Calder’s Travel email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Tube and rail fares in London will increase by 4.6 per cent from March 2 next …

How to deter prospective rail passengers: Pretend fares are much higher than they are
3 months, 2 weeks ago

How to deter prospective rail passengers: Pretend fares are much higher than they are

The Independent  

Sign up to Simon Calder’s free travel email for expert advice and money-saving discounts Get Simon Calder’s Travel email Get Simon Calder’s Travel email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy “The three most expensive rail operators in Europe are the ones operating totally or partially in …

Study ranks UK train fares highest in Europe – but praises passengers’ rights
3 months, 2 weeks ago

Study ranks UK train fares highest in Europe – but praises passengers’ rights

The Independent  

Sign up to Simon Calder’s free travel email for expert advice and money-saving discounts Get Simon Calder’s Travel email Get Simon Calder’s Travel email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. The analysis of 27 European operators found that “travelling by rail in the UK is particularly costly”, adding that high …

What’s the point of publicly owned railways if train fares don’t go down?
3 months, 3 weeks ago

What’s the point of publicly owned railways if train fares don’t go down?

The Independent  

It is nearly 30 years since Tony Blair rewrote Clause IV of the Labour Party’s constitution. That phrase, “common ownership”, was regarded by many in the party – and by many of the party’s enemies – to mean nationalisation, by which the state would own the public corporations that run services, especially those with features of a monopoly. The railways …

Rail fares will continue to rise under Labour’s public ownership plan, transport secretary indicates
3 months, 3 weeks ago

Rail fares will continue to rise under Labour’s public ownership plan, transport secretary indicates

The Independent  

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email Get our free View from Westminster email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Rail fares will continue to rise under Labour despite plans to …

Three rail firms to be brought into public ownership but fares will still rise
3 months, 3 weeks ago

Three rail firms to be brought into public ownership but fares will still rise

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. “We’ve had private train operating companies running train services …

Trains can only get better, says the government – let’s see
3 months, 3 weeks ago

Trains can only get better, says the government – let’s see

The Independent  

Sign up to Simon Calder’s free travel email for expert advice and money-saving discounts Get Simon Calder’s Travel email Get Simon Calder’s Travel email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. “Starting with journeys on South Western Railway, we’re switching tracks by bringing services back under public control to create a …

Review into rail fare-dodging enforcement after ‘egregious’ prosecutions
4 months, 1 week ago

Review into rail fare-dodging enforcement after ‘egregious’ prosecutions

The Independent  

Sign up to Simon Calder’s free travel email for expert advice and money-saving discounts Get Simon Calder’s Travel email Get Simon Calder’s Travel email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. In her first appearance before the Transport Select Committee, Louise Haigh said: “We have seen egregious examples of fare prosecutions …

Train fares and railcard price increase: What you need to know
4 months, 3 weeks ago

Train fares and railcard price increase: What you need to know

The Independent  

Sign up to Simon Calder’s free travel email for expert advice and money-saving discounts Get Simon Calder’s Travel email Get Simon Calder’s Travel email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy The cost of regulated train fares in England will increase by up to 4.6% next year …

Train tickets to rise by "modest" 6% after cabinet puts up €40m
6 months, 2 weeks ago

Train tickets to rise by "modest" 6% after cabinet puts up €40m

Dutch News  

The price of train tickets will rise by 6% next year after the government agreed to put up €40 million to limit the increase. National rail operator NS said last month it would need to raise ticket prices in 2025 by 12% to cover a €120 million gap in its budget, equivalent to 8.7% above inflation. Junior transport minister Chris …

Train tickets to rise by "modest" 6% after cabinet puts up €40m
6 months, 2 weeks ago

Train tickets to rise by "modest" 6% after cabinet puts up €40m

Dutch News  

The price of train tickets will rise by 6% next year after the government agreed to put up €40 million to limit the increase. National rail operator NS said last month it would need to raise ticket prices in 2025 by 12% to cover a €120 million gap in its budget, equivalent to 8.7% above inflation. Junior transport minister Chris …

Pay offer for train drivers ‘will prevent strikes’, minister says
7 months, 1 week ago

Pay offer for train drivers ‘will prevent strikes’, minister says

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy A new pay offer for …

Louise Haigh launches historic rail nationalisation scheme in bid to prove Labour’s socialist credentials
7 months, 3 weeks ago

Louise Haigh launches historic rail nationalisation scheme in bid to prove Labour’s socialist credentials

The Independent  

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email Get our free View from Westminster email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. New transport secretary Louise Haigh has dubbed herself “the passenger-in-chief” as she leads the overhaul …

Rail has fundamental problems that nationalisation alone cannot solve
8 months ago

Rail has fundamental problems that nationalisation alone cannot solve

The Independent  

How wrong can you be about the railways? The prime minister could have encouraged his transport ministers to settle with the train drivers’ union, Aslef, well before the dispute became the longest and most bitter in railway history and drove many passengers away permanently. Instead, Sunak chose to portray two years of sporadic walkouts as “Labour’s strikes”. Only a fool …

Why Labour’s plan to revive British Rail won’t bring down ticket prices
11 months ago

Why Labour’s plan to revive British Rail won’t bring down ticket prices

The Telegraph  

Slashing ticket prices, conversely, would require an increase in subsidy, something Labour is reluctant to fund given the numerous other calls on the public purse and its determination to stick to fiscal rules. RMT general secretary Mick Lynch praised Labour’s commitment to nationalising rail franchises as they expire as “in the best interests of railway workers”. He said the move …

Labour fails to rule out fare rises under rail nationalisation plan
11 months ago

Labour fails to rule out fare rises under rail nationalisation plan

The Independent  

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email Get our free View from Westminster email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy The shadow transport secretary has failed to rule out that fares …

Train passengers hit out at delays and cancellations on first day of ticket price increase
1 year ago

Train passengers hit out at delays and cancellations on first day of ticket price increase

The Independent  

Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Rail passengers have hit out at the “irony” of mass …

Trains could be TWICE as busy by 2050 despite rise of WFH after Covid - as passengers say current conditions on some lines are already 'unbearable'
1 year, 1 month ago

Trains could be TWICE as busy by 2050 despite rise of WFH after Covid - as passengers say current conditions on some lines are already 'unbearable'

Daily Mail  

Trains could be twice as busy by 2050 despite the rise of working from home - as passengers say current conditions on some lines are already 'unbearable' with rail firms failing to provide enough carriages. Passengers aboard a packed Chiltern Trains service where a boy collapsed on the floor Passengers missed the first Chiltern Railways service to London this morning, …

Rail passengers in England face ‘brutal’ hike as fares to rise by 4.9%
1 year, 3 months ago

Rail passengers in England face ‘brutal’ hike as fares to rise by 4.9%

The Independent  

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} Rishi Sunak’s government …

Brits ‘virtually forced’ to take flights instead of trains due to ‘overpriced’ rail fares, says Greenpeace
1 year, 8 months ago

Brits ‘virtually forced’ to take flights instead of trains due to ‘overpriced’ rail fares, says Greenpeace

The Independent  

Sign up to Simon Calder’s free travel email for expert advice and money-saving discounts Get Simon Calder’s Travel email Get Simon Calder’s Travel email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy British travellers will only choose to go on holiday by train if major steps are taken …

Rail bosses spend £10,000 a week on flights – because it’s cheaper than trains
1 year, 8 months ago

Rail bosses spend £10,000 a week on flights – because it’s cheaper than trains

The Independent  

Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Mike Childs, from Friends of the Earth, told The Sun: …

Rail services to be crippled for a week as train drivers announce fresh strike
2 years, 3 months ago

Rail services to be crippled for a week as train drivers announce fresh strike

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Members of the drivers’ union Aslef at 15 train …

UK train prices are astronomical – we should follow Spain and Germany’s lead by cutting them
2 years, 7 months ago

UK train prices are astronomical – we should follow Spain and Germany’s lead by cutting them

The Independent  

The best of Voices delivered to your inbox every week - from controversial columns to expert analysis Sign up for our free weekly Voices newsletter for expert opinion and columns Sign up to our free weekly Voices newsletter SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. This would reduce overall energy consumption …

The Tories have resorted to sharing misleading information over rail strikes
2 years, 9 months ago

The Tories have resorted to sharing misleading information over rail strikes

The Independent  

The best of Voices delivered to your inbox every week - from controversial columns to expert analysis Sign up for our free weekly Voices newsletter for expert opinion and columns Sign up to our free weekly Voices newsletter SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy After 18 …

Nationalise the railway and slash fares: Andy Burnham’s plan for transport
2 years, 10 months ago

Nationalise the railway and slash fares: Andy Burnham’s plan for transport

The Independent  

Sign up to Simon Calder’s free travel email for expert advice and money-saving discounts Get Simon Calder’s Travel email Get Simon Calder’s Travel email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Mr Burnham sets out the policy that, as a senior Labour politician, he is promoting: “We won’t get the railway …

The Great British Rail Sale sounds splendid – but there’s a catch
2 years, 11 months ago

The Great British Rail Sale sounds splendid – but there’s a catch

The Independent  

The best of Voices delivered to your inbox every week - from controversial columns to expert analysis Sign up for our free weekly Voices newsletter for expert opinion and columns Sign up to our free weekly Voices newsletter SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. But here we are, with the …

Train fares are a shambles – without fair pricing the railways are set for a painful decline
3 years ago

Train fares are a shambles – without fair pricing the railways are set for a painful decline

The Independent  

Yesterday, a one-way rush-hour ticket from Bristol to London would have cost £115. “Rail fare rise capped below current inflation rate” reads the headline of the DfT press release that heralded the 3.8 per cent increase in fares across England and Wales. Fortunately, as all regulars on Brunel’s magnificent line between London Paddington to Bristol Temple Meads will know, the …

Commuters hit by biggest rise in rail fares in almost a decade
3 years ago

Commuters hit by biggest rise in rail fares in almost a decade

The Telegraph  

Commuters will be hit with the biggest increase in rail fares for nearly a decade despite a steep fall in the number of train services being run. National rail fares will rise by 3.8pc, the steepest increase since January 2013, in a fresh blow to families facing spiralling energy bills, soaring inflation and steepling mortgage costs. The increase will do …

Train passengers braced for largest spike in fares since 2013
3 years ago

Train passengers braced for largest spike in fares since 2013

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. “It is important that fares are set at a …

How much more expensive will my train ticket be next year?
3 years, 3 months ago

How much more expensive will my train ticket be next year?

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Thanks …

Five years on, rail passengers are still waiting for ticket improvements
3 years, 3 months ago

Five years on, rail passengers are still waiting for ticket improvements

The Independent  

Sign up to Simon Calder’s free travel email for expert advice and money-saving discounts Get Simon Calder’s Travel email Get Simon Calder’s Travel email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. “Rail passengers must be able to trust that they are getting the best possible deal every time they travel.” The …

Rail fare dodgers face £100 penalty
3 years, 4 months ago

Rail fare dodgers face £100 penalty

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. It’s never been more important to minimise the cost …

Rail freight operators forced to dump electric trains for diesel due to Britain’s energy crisis
3 years, 5 months ago

Rail freight operators forced to dump electric trains for diesel due to Britain’s energy crisis

The Independent  

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email Get our free View from Westminster email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Noting that rail freight still emitted over three-quarters less carbon than road haulage even when …

Rail passengers face potential 4.8% rise in fares
3 years, 7 months ago

Rail passengers face potential 4.8% rise in fares

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. That would lead to hikes in the cost of …

‘Ruthless overhaul’ of train fare structure and pricing needed, warns rail expert
3 years, 7 months ago

‘Ruthless overhaul’ of train fare structure and pricing needed, warns rail expert

The Independent  

Sign up to Simon Calder’s free travel email for expert advice and money-saving discounts Get Simon Calder’s Travel email Get Simon Calder’s Travel email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. But Mark Smith, founder of the Seat61.com website, warns a “ruthless root and branch overhaul” of the fare structure and …

Passengers and taxpayers deserve better value from railway, say MPs
3 years, 8 months ago

Passengers and taxpayers deserve better value from railway, say MPs

The Independent  

Sign up to Simon Calder’s free travel email for expert advice and money-saving discounts Get Simon Calder’s Travel email Get Simon Calder’s Travel email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. In a hard-hitting report, MPs on the Public Accounts Committee say the Department for Transport “has neither the necessary urgency …

Rail fares need an overhaul to help ‘level up’ the North
4 years, 5 months ago

Rail fares need an overhaul to help ‘level up’ the North

The Telegraph  

Boris Johnson risks falling short of his pledge to “level up” all regions of the UK due to a “complicated and restrictive” rail fare structure, industry leaders and politicians have warned, particularly following the impact of Covid-19. The Rail Delivery Group said the current system made it “difficult to offer the more flexible fares and ticketing options that passengers will …

Rail fares to rise by 1.6% from January
4 years, 7 months ago

Rail fares to rise by 1.6% from January

The Independent  

Sign up to Simon Calder’s free travel email for expert advice and money-saving discounts Get Simon Calder’s Travel email Get Simon Calder’s Travel email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Many train tickets will cost 1.6 per cent more from 2 January – unless the government …

Wales has found an answer to England's soaring train fares
5 years, 2 months ago

Wales has found an answer to England's soaring train fares

Wired  

Getty Images / WIRED Every January rail fares in the UK get more expensive. But this year Wales has done what the rest of the UK rail has found impossible: instead of hiking prices, it slashed the cost of train tickets by up to ten per cent. Wales has notoriously poor rail infrastructure – you can’t get from north to …

UK commuters face further rail fare rise
5 years, 2 months ago

UK commuters face further rail fare rise

Al Jazeera  

Rail passengers in the United Kingdom face “another decade of misery”, with some long-distance commuters seeing the annual cost of getting to work increase by more than 100 pounds. “How on earth is the government going to meet its climate commitments by pricing people off environmentally friendly trains and on to our polluted and congested roads?” Network Rail data shows …

General election: Labour to cut rail fares by up to 75%
5 years, 3 months ago

General election: Labour to cut rail fares by up to 75%

The Independent  

Sign up to Simon Calder’s free travel email for expert advice and money-saving discounts Get Simon Calder’s Travel email Get Simon Calder’s Travel email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. An across-the-board 33 per cent cut in regulated fares would take effect from January 2020, replacing the planned 2.7 per …

Fare hikes are needed to change the rail system – but there are better ways to do it
5 years, 7 months ago

Fare hikes are needed to change the rail system – but there are better ways to do it

The Independent  

The prime minister and the shadow chancellor share a curious constituency boundary. That is appropriate because the only other thing Boris Johnson and John McDonnell have in common is the recurring political nightmare of what to do about Britain’s railways – with regulated fares set to rise by 2.8 per cent next year. The essence of the problem: tens of …

Rail fares set to rise by 2.8% in 2020
5 years, 7 months ago

Rail fares set to rise by 2.8% in 2020

The Independent  

Sign up to Simon Calder’s free travel email for expert advice and money-saving discounts Get Simon Calder’s Travel email Get Simon Calder’s Travel email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Regulated train fares are set to rise by 2.8 per cent next year, in line with …

Rail fares: Commuters will ‘refuse to pay’ if season ticket hikes continue, campaigners warn
5 years, 7 months ago

Rail fares: Commuters will ‘refuse to pay’ if season ticket hikes continue, campaigners warn

The Independent  

Sign up to Simon Calder’s free travel email for expert advice and money-saving discounts Get Simon Calder’s Travel email Get Simon Calder’s Travel email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Train commuters will “refuse to pay” if season ticket prices continue to be hiked, a rail …

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