Rail fares could spike by 5.8% next year – how to save on train travel

Rail fares could increase by 5.8% in 2026 in another blow for Brits hoping to keep costs down.

Rises in rail fares are traditionally calculated from July’s inflation data, using the Office for National Statistics’ Retail Price Index (RPI) and adding one percentage point. RPI came in at 4.8% in July, one percentage point higher than CPI.

Though the government is yet to announce how they will regulate increases for next year’s rail fares, if they stick to the way the calculations were made previously, we can expect that rail fares will far outpace inflation and rise by 5.8% in 2026.

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Inflation hit an 18-month high of 3.8% in July – far above the Bank of England’s 2% target.

Assuming a rise of 5.8% goes ahead, this would add £247 to the price of an annual season ticket from London to Woking, which was recently named the top commuter town to the capital, bringing it from £4,260 to £4,507.

Elsewhere in the country, an annual season ticket from Sheffield to Rotherham could rise by £41, from £712 a year to £753.

With such a steep fare increase not ruled out by the government, campaigners have called on ministers to spare commuters from increased costs.

Paul Kohler MP, Liberal Democrat spokesperson for transport, urged the government to freeze fares.

He said: “Rail passengers are already paying sky-high prices for overcrowded trains and unreliable services. Hiking fares yet again would be a betrayal of passengers who are simply trying to get to work, travel to school or visit family and friends.

“Families and hardworking commuters are being hit with the cost of living crisis month after month, and now face being ripped off on the railways too. Pricing people off the trains will only drive more cars onto our congested roads, increase pollution and damage our economy.”

These sentiments were echoed by Ben Plowden, chief executive of the Campaign for Better Transport, who pointed out that the government will have increasing agency over how much rail fares rise.

“With the railways now moving under public control, the fundamental question for the Government is how to use its role in setting fares policy to deliver a more affordable rail network and encourage more people to travel on it,” he said.

“Next year’s annual rise represents the first real opportunity for the Government to show passengers – both current and future – just how it plans to do this.”

With a fare rise seeming likely, we look at some ways that you can save money on your rail fares.

How to save money on your rail fares

If rail fares are adjusted in the ways they were in previous years and climb by 5.8%, this would be felt universally on all types of tickets and routes.

However, while you may not be able to escape the blanket increase, there are some tricks that can help you save money on your train tickets.

Railcards

One of the most popular ways to do this is by purchasing a railcard. These are discount cards that can be bought by certain types of travellers for around £35. They give the holder a discount of around 33%.

While all people aged 16 to 30 and over 60 qualify for them, people who are aged in between these figures may find it more difficult to buy them – but there are some options.

For example, if you regularly travel with another person you could get a Two Together Railcard, which slices fares by a third so long as you are with the person you name on the card.

The official railcard website has a tool which helps you find the best railcard for you.

Split your tickets

Another popular way to drive down the price of your train tickets is by splitting up your journey across different tickets. While this can often result in cheaper tickets, this is not always the case.

As this is quite a complicated process, most people now use online tools to split their tickets to get the best deal possible.

The most popular website that does this is Trainline, but some other websites like Trainsplit do the same thing.

Book 12 weeks in advance

Another way you may be able to reduce the price of your train fares is by booking in advance.

Train tickets are released 12 weeks in advance of their scheduled departure day and the earlier you buy your tickets, the cheaper they tend to be.

However, timetabling can change in the intervening weeks, so bear this in mind when booking in advance.