Higher inflation threatens a large increase in fares...
THE annual increase in controlled ticket prices at the beginning of the year is based on the level of retail price inflation (RPI) in the previous July, and the bad news for rail users is that the figure for July 2021 is 3.8%.
That is not the limit of a likely increase, however, as the Government has in recent years been adding a further 1% annually as a contribution to the funding required for the high level of investment in rail facilities. As a result, there is the potential for a4.8% rise in fares in January 2022.
It was only in March 2021 that passengers were required to pay anincrease of 2.6%, which was the result of delay to the scheduled fares rise from January 2021. This was made up of the 1.6% RPI increase from the previous July with the supplement of 1%added by Department for Transport.
