The government has confirmed that regulated rail fares in England will be frozen until March 2027. The freeze, announced prior to the Budget, follows a 4.6% rise in March 2025.
Regulated fares include most season tickets on commuter routes, some off-peak long-distance tickets and flexible city-travel products. The freeze applies only to services run by England-based train operating companies.
Unregulated fares can still be set independently by operators, although historically they have tended to move broadly in line with regulated fare changes.
The government said the freeze is intended to help limit inflation and ease pressure on everyday travel costs.
For regular business travellers and employers with staff travelling by rail, the freeze may provide a degree of cost certainty between now and 2027. The government estimates that passengers on the most expensive routes could save more than £300.
The Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said that the announcement forms part of “wider plans to rebuild Great British Railways.”
See: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/first-rail-freeze-in-30-years-to-ease-the-cost-of-living
The Spring Statement will be delivered in Parliament on 3 March, giving an update on the state of the UK economy and the government’s financial outlook.
A new website has been launched by the Department for Business and Trade (DBT) offering practical guidance and support on the changes that the Employment Rights Act will introduce and what they can do to get ready.