Fears have emerged that London commuters face being “singled out” for fare hikes while the rest of the country enjoys a freeze in the cost of rail travel.
Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander has announced that “regulated” rail fares will be frozen from March 2026, saving commuters up to £350 a year.
However, City Hall has not announced a similar freeze in Tube fares or rail services operated by Transport for London, including the Elizabeth line and London Overground.
Nor has there been any news on whether Travelcard prices – which enable passengers to interchange between TfL and national rail services in the capital – will be held at current rates.
If London mayor Sir Sadiq Khan does increase Tube fares, it will be almost inevitable that Travelcards will also increase, as Travelcard prices are set annually according to a formula that takes into account the latest TfL fares and national rail fares.
City Hall sources said on Monday that work to understand the implications of the national rail fares freeze was underway.
But the mayor’s critics said that Londoners who used the capital’s public transport network should not lose out.
Hina Bokhari, leader of the Lib-Dem group on the London Assembly, told The Standard: "If ministers freeze fares everywhere except London, that isn't policy, it's a punishment beating.
“Londoners already face higher living costs and deeper levels of poverty, yet ministers appear to want to single out London for inflation-busting hikes. This isn't levelling the country up, it's levelling the capital down."
Caroline Russell, leader of the Green group on the Assembly, said: “It’s encouraging that the Government has finally recognised that rising rail fares are unsustainable, especially when drivers have benefited from a 15-year freeze in fuel duty.
“But it is concerning that TfL may still be required to raise fares above inflation for Londoners. At a time when so many are struggling to get by, the Government must urgently clarify how its fare freeze will apply across all London services.
“In the long term, we need meaningful reform of our fare system to ensure that the cost of travel never becomes a barrier to Londoners' getting on with their daily lives.”
The Department for Transport told The Standard that TfL fares were a matter for the mayor.
However Sir Sadiq was placed under orders in June to hike TfL fares by one percentage point above the RPI rate of inflation each year until 2030 in return form £2.2bn of funding received by TfL in the spending review.
Asked whether the rail fares increase extended to Travelcards, a DfT spokeswoman said prices “will be confirmed in due course”.
One rail industry source said that where train operators control the fares to and within London, all regulated fares would be frozen.
This includes national rail pay-as-you go fares within London (both peak and off peak) and season tickets.
Last December, Sir Sadiq announced a 4.6 per cent average increase in TfL fares other than bus fares, which were frozen at £1.75.
This increase took effect in March, generating an estimated £211m more in fares income for TfL.
Even if the mayor does freeze fares, he is likely to increase the daily and weekly “cap” on pay-as-you-go journeys, which will increase the amount paid overall by many London passengers.
Train fares had been expected to rise by up to 5.8 per cent next March. The freeze is the first in 30 years.
It is expected to save people buying an annual season ticket commuting to London from Brighton £356 a year, from Basingstoke £340, Reading £340, Colchester £388 and from further afield Swindon £664 and Bath £756, according to Department for Transport figures.
