Labour slams “brutal” rail fare rise as analysis shows fares have risen almost twice as fast as wages

Tuesday, 1 March 2022 00:01

Labour has condemned Conservative Ministers over a “brutal” 3.8% hike – the highest rise in almost a decade – to be introduced today. The Shadow Transport Secretary Louise Haigh MP will today visited commuter-town Stevenage to highlight the eye-watering rise facing passengers. The average commuter nationwide now faces paying a staggering £3,263 for their season ticket - £1069, or 49% more, than in 2010. And new figures released today by Labour show:...Request free trial

Labour has condemned Conservative Ministers over a “brutal” 3.8% hike – the highest rise in almost a decade – to be introduced today.

The Shadow Transport Secretary Louise Haigh MP will today visited commuter-town Stevenage to highlight the eye-watering rise facing passengers.

The average commuter nationwide now faces paying a staggering £3,263 for their season ticket - £1069, or 49% more, than in 2010.

And new figures released today by Labour show:

Average fares have risen almost twice as fast as wages since 2010

Average fares will rise to 48.9% more than they were in 2010.

The Rail Minister, Wendy Morton, caused outrage when she said the 3.8% rail fare rise would make rail travel “more attractive”, because at least it wasn’t 4.8%.

Shadow Transport Secretary, Louise Haigh MP, said:

“This brutal Tory fare hike will be a nightmare for millions of passengers.

“Families are already facing the Conservatives’ tax-rises and surging bills, and will now be clobbered with yet another eye-watering rise in the cost of the commute.

“People up and down this country are paying the price for a crisis in living standards made in Downing Street.”

ENDS

Notes to editors:

Rail Minister Wendy Morton said the 3.8% fare hike was likely to make rail travel “more attractive”https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2022/01/16/biggest-rail-fare-rises-decade-will-push-commuters-cars-campaigners/

The average commuter will be paying £3,263 for their season ticket in 2022, £1,069 more than in 2010.

The average 2017 annual season ticket reportedly costs £2,788.[1] Regulated rail fares rose by 27.1% between 2010 and 2017, which means that the average season ticket in 2010 would have cost £2,194. A 49% (from 2010-2022) increase on £2,194 is £3,263.

Top 5 highest rises in cash terms

Annual Season Tickets	2010	2022 projected	£ increase	% increase
Birmingham - London (any permitted)	£8,028	£11,929	£3,901	49%
Coventry - London Euston (any permitted route)	£7,096	£10,546	£3,450	49%
Swindon - London	£6,640	£9,873	£3,233	49%
Norwich - London	£6,212	£9,222	£3,010	48%
Rugby – London (any permitted)	£6,280	£9,176	£2,896	46%

Top 5 highest rises in percentage terms

Annual Season Tickets	2010	2022 projected	£ increase	% increase
Tame Bridge Parkway - Nuneaton	£1,948	£3,293	£1,345	69%
Bloxwich - Nuneaton	£2,228	£3,762	£1,534	69%
Enfield Town - London Liverpool Street	£1,200	£1,910	£710	59%
Dover Priory (non HS1) - London	£3,880	£6,174	£2,294	59%
Hastings or Rye (HS1) - London St Pancras	£4,608	£7,328	£2,720	59%

Season ticket rises in Ministers’ constituencies

Annual Season Tickets	2010	2022 projected	£ increase	% increase
Boris Johnson: West Drayton - London Paddington	£1,448	£2,163	£715	49%
Grant Shapps: Hatfield – London Kings Cross	£2,068	£3,077	£1,009	49%

Season ticket data for 2010 has been taken from the Avantix Traveller (National Fares Manual) database.http://data.atoc.org/fares-data

2022 is based on a 3.8% increase on 2021 prices which have been taken from the National Rail season ticket calculator. https://www.nationalrail.co.uk/times_fares/Season-Calculator.aspx

Regulated rail fares, which include season tickets and most other commuter tickets, will have risen by 50% on average between 2010 and 2022.

year	annual increase at RPI	RPI rate per cent	Cap per cent	Average indexed against 2010
2010				100
2011	RPI+1	4.8	5.8	106
2012	RPI+1	5	6	112
2013	RPI+1	3.2	4.2	117
2014	RPI	3.1	3.1	120
2015	RPI	2.5	2.5	123
2016	RPI	1	1	125
2017	RPI	1.9	1.9	127
2018	RPI	3.6	3.6	132
2019	RPI	3.2	3.2	136
2020	RPI	3.0	3.0	140
2021	RPI+1	1.6	1.6	143
2022	RPI	3.8	3.8	148.91

Regulated fares have risen by more than the average on some routes because Ministers decided to restore ‘flex,’ the train companies’ right to vary prices by up to 5 per cent, between 2011 and 2014.
In September 2014 the Department for Transport introduced a new evening peak period in metropolitan areas on the Northern franchise, which raised the cost of travel by up to 162%.
Median weekly wages grew by 22.5% between 2010 and 2021:

Year	Median (Gross, £)	Annual % change
2010	498.5	2.05
2011	500.7	0.44
2012	506.1	1.08
2013	517.4	2.23
2014	518.3	0.17
2015	527.1	1.7
2016	538.7	2.2
2017	550.4	2.2
2018	569	3.5
2019	585	2.9
2020	586	0.1
2021	611	4.3

Year	% change
Year	% change
2010-2021	22.5

ONS, Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings 2020, 26 October 2021,https://www.ons.gov.uk/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/earningsandworkinghours/bulletins/annualsurveyofhoursandearnings/2021