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 a 4.8% rise in fares in January 2022.