UK rail passengers will see their fares rise by 5.9 per cent in 2023 in a move described as being the “latest blow” to the business travel sector.
The Department for Transport announced that the rise would take effect from 5 March and pointed out that the increase was 6.4 percentage points lower than July’s retail price index inflation figure of 12.3 per cent, which is usually used to calculate the following year’s increase.
Travellers using the UK’s rail network have suffered through a series of national strikes this year, with more industrial action due over Christmas and in January, as well as other service issues.
The government said the latest increase in fares, which comes on top of a 3.8 per cent rise in 2022, was necessary to “support crucial investment and the financial stability of the railway”.
Clive Wratten, CEO of the Business Travel Association, said: “The rail fare increases from March 2023 are the latest blow to the business travel sector. People travelling for work have been hammered by strikes, inconsistent timetables and cancelled trains in the run-up to Christmas, this is another grab for their wallets.
“Whilst it is welcome that the increases are below inflation, it is simply asking the beleaguered traveller to fund inefficiencies across the entire railway network. Domestic travellers deserve better.”
Annual fare increases usually come into force at the start of January but for the second consecutive year are being delayed until March in 2023. The rise of 5.9 per cent has been set to match average earnings growth in July 2022 rather than RPI inflation for “this year only”.
Transport secretary Mark Harper said: “I’m capping the rise well below inflation to help reduce the impact on passengers. It has been a difficult year and the impact of inflation is being felt across the UK economy. We do not want to add to the problem.
“This is a fair balance between the passengers who use our trains and the taxpayers who help pay for them.”