Season ticket cost for trains set to rocket by up to 58% for long-suffering rail-users in Cheshire

Season ticket fares are set to rocket next year by the biggest increase in a decade, new analysis by Labour has shown.

In Cheshire, one of the highest increases is projected to be on a season ticket between Chester and Manchester which will have risen by £1261 since 2010 and will cost £3429 next year.

Passengers on average were hit with a 2.6 per cent increase on the cost of train travel from March 1 2021. But new Retail Price Index (RPI) figures released today show the already eye-watering cost could rise by another 4.8 per cent next January.

Labour has analysed costs on more than 180 train routes since the Conservatives came to power and the projected new prices that will be implemented in 2022.

The average commuter faces paying £3,295 for their season ticket - £1101, or 50 per cent more, than in 2010.

In the North West the top three highest rises in cash terms are:

 The new figures released today by Labour show that across the country average fares will rise by over 50% compared to 2010 and have risen nearly three times faster than wages.

Jim McMahon MP, Labour’s Shadow Transport Secretary, said:

“Rail travel has long been unaffordable for many people, thanks to the Conservatives prioritising the profits of private companies over passengers.

“This would be yet another eye-watering hike hot on the heels of the failure of the Government’s so-called money saving flexi ticket scheme.”