Rail fares rose by 5.1% in Great Britain over past year, data shows

Rail fares rose by 5.1% across Great Britain over the last year, with cheaper advance fares increasing by almost double the rate of inflation, official data has shown.

Campaigners said passengers were being priced off the railway after the price of tickets surpassed the government cap on regulated fares, which account for about half of rail journeys.

The Department for Transport capped the increase in regulated fares in England and Wales – which include season and anytime urban tickets – at 4.6% in March 2025, while Scotrail capped its increases at 3.8% in April 2025.

But according to figures from the Office of Rail and Road (ORR), unregulated long-distance advance fares went up by 5.9% and advance fares on trains in south-east England rose by almost 10%.

The ORR said overall fares across Great Britain increased by 5.1% in 2025 – compared with an inflation rate of 3.2% in the year to March, as measured by the retail prices index.

The consumer prices index, which is no longer the official measure of inflation, was 2.6% in that period. The government decided to set regulated rail fare increases at 1% above the RPI rate in July 2024, a rise of 4.6%.

The cost of rail travel has in some years risen below the cap, with the industry saying cheaper advance fares set by operators offered more affordable options. However, those are now rising faster than regulated fares, the figures released on Thursday showed.

Ben Plowden, the chief executive of Campaign for Better Transport, said: “Rising rail fares are putting people off using the railways and making rail travel unaffordable. The government must make fares and ticketing reforms a priority under Great British Railways to help tackle inflation-busting fare rises and make rail travel more affordable for more people.”

Heidi Alexander, the transport secretary, said: “I understand that passengers are frustrated rail fares keep rising despite unacceptable levels of delays and cancellations, which is why this government made sure this was the lowest increase in three years, and below the growth in average earnings.”

She added: “We inherited a railway that was not fit for purpose, and I know it will take time for trust to be restored. My number one priority is getting the railways back to a place where people can rely on them and, through public ownership and the creation of Great British Railways, we’ll be putting passengers at the heart of everything we do.”