Rail fares frozen across England as refund rules tighten

Rail fares frozen across England from this week, as the Government keeps regulated prices unchanged to help with the cost of living and support economic growth, as set out in an official announcement from gov.uk.

Rail fares frozen across England: which tickets are covered

The freeze applies to regulated fares across the country, including season tickets and peak and off-peak returns between major cities. Also, ministers say this is the first time in 30 years that regulated fares have been frozen.

The Government expects the now static price of rail fares to benefit over a billion passenger journeys. At the same time, it estimates existing rail passengers will save 600 million GBP across 2026/27, while the usual 5.8% rise seen in previous years is delayed, as outlined in the Department for Transport passenger savings estimate.

What passengers could save on regulated fares?

For example, the Government cited savings of 315 GBP per year for journeys from Milton Keynes to London, 173 GBP per year for travel from Woking to London, and 57 GBP per year for passengers going from Bradford to Leeds three days a week using flexi-season tickets, as reported by Railway-News.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer said:

Affordable, reliable transport links are the gateway to jobs, school, and opportunities. So it’s not right that passengers are being priced out of the routes they should rely on because of endless hikes.

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This freeze – the first since the 90s – will put more money in working people’s pockets. By keeping costs down we are making journeys more affordable for millions of people – putting train travel back into the service of passengers, not profits.

Rail ticket refund rules change from 1 April

Alongside frozen rail fares, the Government has also announced changes to the terms and conditions relating to rail tickets. Separately, from 1 April, passengers will only be permitted to claim refunds for unused tickets ahead of travel.

The changes are intended to address fare dodging and fraud prevention, and are expected to save 40 million GBP through the potential prevention of fraud and fare-dodging.

Rail Minister, Lord Peter Hendy, said:

Deliberate fare dodging has no place on our railways. It drains much needed revenue and undercuts the trust of passengers who play by the rules.

Changing refund rules will help stamp out fraud, keeping money in the railway – which will ensure we can deliver an improved railway with passengers at its heart.

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