Double whammy fares misery for commuters as Tube and train fares rise above inflation

Commuters face a double whammy of fare hikes when train and Tube fares go up by 4.6 per cent on Sunday. The increases were approved last year by the Government and the mayor of London Sir Sadiq Khan and come into effect on March 2. It means that a single Tube journey within zone 1 will increase from £2.80 to £2.90 at peak times, and from £2.70 to £2.80 off peak.

A zones 1-4 Tube journey will increase 20p, to £4.60 at peak times and to £3.40 off peak. Peak fares apply on weekdays between 6.30am and 9.30am and from 4pm to 7pm. The increase in Tube fares brings to an end a partial fares freeze announced last year by Sir Sadiq, ahead of the 2024 mayoral elections.

Fares on the Elizabeth line, London Overground and DLR will also increase – but London bus fares will remain frozen at £1.75, the cheapest in the country. “Regulated” rail fares – and Travelcards that allow travel on trains and the TfL network in the capital – will also increase by 4.6 per cent.

Regulated fares are those that are set, or regulated, by the Government, such as commuter fares and season tickets. They exclude fares that train companies can set by themselves, which include first class tickets and advance tickets. The Government said the increase in rail fares was the lowest in three years.

The current rate of inflation is three per cent. Daily and weekly “caps” on the amount pay-as-you-go passengers are charged for multiple journeys within Greater London will also increase by 4.6 per cent, equating to increases of 40p to 70p a day. This means the daily cap for travelling in zones 1-2 will be £8.90, and £10.50 for zones 1-3.

Passengers have been advised to renew their season tickets ahead of the increase to ensure they continued to pay current rates. The advice, from the Trainline ticket booking website, also recommended renewing Railcards, which offer about a third off fares.

One-year Railcards are due to increase by £5 and three-year Railcards by £10. Trainline advised its customers: “Buy yours today and make the most of current prices while you still can.”. The Standard revealed this week that TfL is also increasing London black taxi fares - by almost 7.5 per cent from April, in a bid to curb the number of cabbies leaving the trade.

It comes as TfL admits that the number of passengers is increasing more slowly than hoped and as bus passenger numbers have started to flatline. Since last April there has been a 1.6 per cent increase in journeys on TfL services – well below the six per cent target.

TfL passenger numbers are now at 93 per cent of pre-pandemic levels, according to TfL commissioner Andy Lord. Mr Lord, appearing before the London Assembly transport committee on Thursday, said: “We are seeing very strong demand at weekends and in the middle of the working week.

“We are seeing a slight improvement on Mondays but it’s not where we need it to be. “We have to recognise there is a structural change in terms of people’s behaviour.”. The mayor’s cheaper Friday fares scheme, which was trialled last year in a bid to attract workers back to central London on Fridays, failed to make any noticeable difference to post-pandemic travel patterns.