Labour has hit out at the “savage” increase in rail fares, after the government announced they will rise by up to 5.9% next year.
On Thursday the department for transport (DfT) announced a cap of 5.9% for increases to regulated fares from March 5.
It said this is 6.4 percentage points lower than the inflation figure fare rises are historically based on.
But Labour’s shadow transport secretary Louise Haigh said: “This savage fare hike will be a sick joke for millions reliant on crumbling services.
“People up and down this country are paying the price for 12 years of Tory failure.”
Train operators set unregulated fares, although their decisions are heavily influenced by the Government due to contracts introduced because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Transport Secretary Mark Harper said: “This is the biggest-ever government intervention in rail fares.
“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.”
The Lib Dems called the increase in rail fares a “kick in the teeth for commuters”.
The party’s transport spokesperson Wera Hobhouse said: “Season tickets will jump by hundreds of pounds and families will be left to fork out even more for train journeys in the middle of a cost-of-living crisis.
“The government should be freezing fares to help struggling households. People are paying more for less on our rail network.
“You are lucky nowadays if the trains are actually running, let alone on time. The Conservative government hiking fares like this is absolutely shocking.”