Clive Jones, Liberal Democrat MP for Wokingham, has called for a rail fare freeze as ticket prices look set to increase again next year.
This means commuters between Wokingham and London stations face an eye-watering increase of £290 per year, making the overall cost £5,290.
New figures released last week indicate that regulated rail fares are set to rise 5.8% in 2026-27 should the government choose to follow existing policy and increase fares in line with July’s Retail Price Index (RPI).
The Liberal Democrats are calling for rail fares to be frozen.
In March, when the cost of season ticket first rose to £5000, Clive Jones and his Lib Dem colleagues labelled this 4.6% rise in fares as “unjustifiable” and called for fares to be frozen and reversed.
The Wokingham MP has spoken many times in Parliament, outlining the need for improved rail services for residents in Wokingham.
Jones has also met with South Western Railway to echo the concerns of Wokingham residents, who have already had to put up with significant fare increases in addition to poor services.
Commenting on the rail fare rise, he said: “At a time of rising cancellations and in the midst of a cost-of-living crisis, commuters shouldn’t be expected to fork out more and receive less.
“Increasing rail fares now would be nothing other than a slap in the face to ordinary people here in Wokingham.
“What started out as chaos under the Conservatives has moved on to more complacency under Labour.
“Commuters deserve better than just the same raw deal given under new management.
“Raising fares is a false economy that will only drive down passengers and revenue in the long run.
“My Liberal Democrat colleagues and I are calling on the government to do more to increase passenger numbers on trains, to freeze rail fares and to give commuters in Wokingham reliable service and fair deal.”
