COMMUTERS face a 2.7 per cent increase in rail fares from January — despite continued chaos on the railways.
It will add as much as £140 to the cost of long-distance season tickets for some travellers.
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The increase will affect 45 per cent of fares that are regulated — but other tickets could soar by more because they are decided by train companies.
Regulated fares include most annual season tickets, some off-peak return tickets on long- distance trips and flexible Anytime tickets around big cities.
The latest rise is slightly lower than this year’s 3.1 per cent increase — the biggest in six years.
It means a season ticket from Brighton to London, now £4,844, will cost £4,974.
A season ticket from Reading to London will go up by £140 to a total of £5,308.
The Rail Delivery Group, which announced the increase last night, defended the move. It insisted price rises will be invested back into the railways.
But Anthony Smith, chief executive of watchdog Transport Focus, said: “We speak to hundreds of thousands of passengers each year and we know that less than half feel they get value for money.
“After a year of patchy performance, passengers just want a consistent day-to-day service they can rely on and a better chance of getting a seat.
“As fares rise, passengers must make their voice heard and call on operators to deliver a better service.”
