CASH-STRAPPED commuters can breathe a slight sigh of relief as it has been announced rail fare rises will not be as high as feared.
The Prime Minister said on Monday increases in ticket prices would be capped at one per cent plus the rate of inflation for the next two years.
The announcement comes after the Government had planned to allow train operators to hike the average price of regulated fares by 6.2 per cent from January 2013.
Yet despite this week’s news, in the New Year some ticket prices, including season tickets, could still go up by 4.2 per cent.
A spokesman for First Capital Connect, which runs the Thameslink line, said: “We warmly welcome the government’s change in policy because it will mean lower than expected fare rises, the exact value of which we will announce later this year.”
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