Revealed: Commuters have faced £1,100 ticket bombshell since 2019 as Lib Dems pledge to freeze rail fares

EMBARGO: Immediate Release 

• Liberal Democrats announce manifesto commitment to freeze rail fares next year, saving commuters in some areas from a £199 rise in ticket prices

• Treasury Spokesperson Sarah Olney warns that commuters have “borne the brunt of Conservative chaos” and are now “paying more for a worse service”

• Commuters are paying an average of £1,100 more a year in some areas on season tickets since 2019

The Liberal Democrats have announced a manifesto commitment to freeze rail fares next year, saving commuters from £115 million in fare hikes.

It comes as analysis by the party reveals rail season ticket holders in some areas have forked out an extra £1,100 in rail fares since 2019.

In Winchester, commuters have seen the cost of a season ticket soar to £6,432 a year, up £1,101 since 2019. The Lib Dem pledge to freeze rail fares would save commuters in the town from a £199 rise in ticket prices over the next year. 

In Harpenden, train commuters have seen the cost of a season ticket soar to £4,792 a year, up £820 since 2019. Commuters from Guildford have seen a £773 increase, with annual tickets now costing over £4,500. 

The Liberal Democrat proposals would save commuters a total of £115m next year. This would be funded through a clampdown on tax avoidance and evasion. Uncollected taxes under the Conservatives currently stand at a staggering £35.8bn a year. 

These price rises come in the face of rising cancellations. A Liberal Democrat FOI has revealed that last year 55,829 rush hour trains were either partly or fully cancelled. This was a 10% rise on the previous year and the worst of any year since 2019.

The Liberal Democrats have said that passengers should not be paying more for a worse service and that commuters need to be protected from the Conservative party’s neglect of the railways through a price freeze on fares. Liberal Democrats have also pledged to reform the broken fares system by the end of the next parliament. 

Liberal Democrat Treasury Spokesperson, Sarah Olney said:

“Commuters have borne the brunt of Conservative chaos, with the price of train tickets soaring whilst services are worse.

“From Winchester to Wokingham, it is disgraceful that everyday passengers are having to pay more for trains which are increasingly delayed or cancelled. 

“That is why the Liberal Democrats would help commuters keep more money in their pockets by freezing fail fares.”

ENDS

Notes to Editors:

Liberal Democrat analysis of rail fare prices can be found here.

Data on train cancellations can be found here.

A freeze on regulated rail fares (which includes seasons tickets, anytime day tickets, off-peak and super off-peak tickets) for 2025-26 is expected to cost around £115m in that year. This was calculated using official statistics on regulated fare revenue from the Office of Rail and Road. The 2025-26 percentage increase on rail fares was estimated using Q2 RPI forecasts from the latest OBR Economic and Fiscal Outlook.

The policy would be funded through the party’s plan to clamp down on tax avoidance and evasion - narrowing the tax gap which currently stands at £35.8bn.