Millions of rail passengers will pay more for their train tickets from today with fares to rise by around 2.7 per cent on average.
Some long-distance commuters have seen the annual cost of getting to work increase by more than £100 while passengers buying tickets for day trips have also been hit by the rise.
The annual increase in rail fares is always controversial, and fewer than half of passengers are satisfied with the value for money of train tickets, according to watchdog Transport Focus.
Here's all you need to know about the increase.
Why do train fares go up each year?
Since the railway network was privatised in 1995, it has been the policy of successive Governments to switch the burden of funding the railways from taxpayers to passengers.
Official figures have show that between January 1995 and January 2019, average fares increased in real terms by 21 per cent.
Prices rise on the first working day of every new year, with around 45 per cent of fares regulated by the UK, Scottish and Welsh Governments. The rest are decided by train companies.
Season tickets on most commuter routes, some off-peak return tickets on long-distance journeys and tickets for travel around major cities at any time are regulated fares.
How much will my season ticket increase by?
Here are the average rises for each rail company:
- c2c: 2.6%
- Caledonian Sleeper: 0%
- Chiltern Railways: 3.0%
- CrossCountry: 2.8%
- East Midlands Railway: 2.6%
- Govia Thameslink Railway (Gatwick Express, Great Northern, Southern and Thameslink): 2.7%
- Grand Central: 2.8%
- Great Western Railway: 2.7%
- Greater Anglia (includes Stansted Express): 2.6%
- Heathrow Express: 0%
- Hull Trains: 0%
- London North Eastern Railway: 1.2%
- London Northwestern Railway: 2.8%
- London Overground: Vast majority of single fares are frozen but Travelcards and price caps will increase by an average of 2.8%
- Merseyrail: 2.8%
- Northern: 2.5%
- ScotRail: 2.4%
- South Western Railway: 2.8%
- Southeastern: 2.8%
- TfL Rail: Vast majority of single fares are frozen but Travelcards and price caps will increase by an average of 2.8%
- TransPennine Express: Did not provide a figure for the average increase across all its fares
- Transport for Wales: Fares will be reduced by an average of 1.1%
- Avanti West Coast: 2.7%
- West Midlands Railway: 2.8%
Among the routes where the price of annual season tickets has increased by a three-figure sum are:
- Reading to London (up £132 to £4,736)
- Gloucester to Birmingham (up £118 to £4,356)
- Glasgow to Edinburgh via any permitted route (up £116 to £4,200)
How can I save money on travel?
Savvy commuters beat the hike by renewing their season tickets in the days before Thursday's increase.
Passengers can also save money by getting a railcard, travelling off-peak and booking in advance, although these options are not available for many journeys, particularly those made by commuters.
Season tickets can often be the most cost effective way of travelling if the same journey is made three days a week or more,
People travelling in a group of between three and nine people can also save money while split ticketing is also another option to look at.
