Passengers who are caught travelling without a train ticket could face a possible £100 fine. This comes after the Department of Transport decided to increase penalty fares.
It’s believed that the previous £20 flat rate was no longer a deterrent and has not increased since 2005. The new charges will come into effect tomorrow (Monday 23) across all train networks in England and Wales.
The penalty fare is rising from £20 (or twice the price of the single fare to the next station) to £100 plus the full fare for the journey you take on that train. However, if paid within 21 days, it will be reduced to £50 plus the cost of a ticket for the passenger’s journey on that train.
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A Department for Transport spokesman added: “By acting as an effective deterrent, more revenue will be generated by the railway, which can be re-invested to improve the quality of passenger services.”
The Rail Delivery Group (RDG) estimates that in a normal year, around £240 million is lost through fare evasion on Great Britain’s railways. When set against the profound impact COVID-19 has had on passenger numbers and industry revenues, it’s never been more important to minimise the cost of fare evasion to the railways.
Great Western Railway (GWR) will be implementing the new penalty charges across England but the scheme will not apply to stations in South Wales. The company said: “We have a duty to ensure that we are protecting the interests of our fare-paying passengers and the taxpayer investment in running the railway.
The GWR train station routes affected by the new changes include Bristol Parkway, Bristol Temple Meads and Yate. Click here to see the GWR changes in full.
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