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2020 Rail Fares2020 Rail Fares Rail fares for 2020 published – fares held below inflation for third year running as record investment continues Train companies have confirmed that rail fares will go up on average by 2.7% next year, lower than July’s RPI measure of inflation which is used by government to peg changes to around half of all fares. This is the third year in a row and the fifth time in the last seven years that fares have been held below inflation. With 98p in every pound from fares going towards the cost of running the railway, ticket money is enabling unprecedented investment to improve journeys. As part of a programme to replace half the nation’s trains new for old by 2025, rail companies will deliver a thousand extra train carriages across the country next year alone. This will support the introduction of 1,000 new services to weekly timetables for next year, part of 11,300 extra being added by 2025.
Together with major upgrades to infrastructure and stations, this means more seats on more comfortable, more reliable and more frequent trains and better-connected communities, boosting Britain’s economic potential.
Next year, rail users will benefit from:
Alongside delivering improvements to passenger services, rail companies are proposing changes to Britain’s decades-old fares system in order to offer passengers an easier to use, better value range of fares which are up to date with how people live and work today. Following a mass consultation last year which saw almost 20,000 people setting out what they would want from a renewed system, the proposals included plans for mix and match, tap-in-tap-out fares with a price cap across the country, and a far greater range of walk-up fares to reduce overcrowding on some of Britain’s busiest long-distance routes. Changes to regulations would also enable the industry to offer a fare guarantee for the first time, ending the need to find complicated work-arounds to get cheaper deals. Paul Plummer, Chief Executive of the Rail Delivery Group, representing train operators, said: “We understand that no one wants to pay more to travel, which is why train companies have for the third year in a row held the average fare increases below inflation while still investing to improve journeys. Passengers will benefit from 1,000 extra, improved train carriages and over 1,000 extra weekly services in 2020 and the industry will continue to push for changes to fares regulations to enable a better range of affordable, mix and match fares and reduced overcrowding on some of the busiest routes.” Previous governments have decided that farepayers and not taxpayers should cover most of the cost of running the railway. This frees up public funds for record levels of investment in infrastructure to improve journeys and support economic growth. Governments use inflation to peg changes to around 45% of fares which are regulated, including season tickets. The rest are influenced by a range of factors including the payments train companies make to governments. The average overall increase includes all national rail fares and will come into effect on 2nd January 2020. Individual fares can be viewed on the National Rail Enquiries website and tickets for 2020 can be bought online and at ticket offices now. To find out more about the work to upgrade Britain's railway go to https://bigplanbigchanges.co.uk/ For more about your rail fare go to www.nationalrail.co.uk/fares |
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