Fare increases of 7% and more from Jan 2nd
December 31, 2011The January increases to rail fares from Walkden can now be found on the National Rail Enquiries website Journey Planner – simply enter a date after 2nd January for your journey and press Check Fares.
Contrary to what you may have heard in the news about fares being limited to an average of 6%, commuters from Walkden yet again face fare increases that are way above the rate of inflation.
The main commuter fares from Walkden – the Peak Return and 7-Day Pass to Victoria – are going up to £5.90 and £23.20 respectively, that’s a rise of over 7% in each case.
Some other fares, particularly off-peak, are rising even more steeply: here’s a few of the most common fares from Walkden:
| Peak Return to Mcr | Off Peak Return to Mcr | Peak Single to Mcr | Off Peak Single to Mcr | 1 Month Season Ticket | |
| Old fare | £5.50 | £3.30 | £3.50 | £3.20 | £82.60 |
| New fare | £5.90 | £3.60 | £3.80 | £3.50 | £89.10 |
| increase | 7.3% | 9.1% | 8.6% | 9.4% | 7.9% |
If you have a long-term season ticket (3, 6 or 12 months) you may consider renewing today at Walkden, or tomorrow (at a manned station such as Bolton or Manchester Victoria) to beat the price rise which comes into effect on Monday.
You’re correct, since the early 1990s UK train fares on average have increases faster then inflation as reported by RPI, but does this tell the whole story, as the recent news headline make out?
Over the last 25 years, UK train fares have generally increased inline with UK average salary growth. This is very different to the trend with RPI were train fares increases much faster. So on average train fares are approximately as expensive/cheap, relative to average wages, as they were in the late 1980s
Reference : http://www.inflationarypressure.co.uk/customchart1987/Graph%20of%20price%20of%20Rail%20Fares%20against%20Average%20Salary%20-%20Index%20showing%20inflation.html