Lib Dems call for rail fare freeze as Horsham commuters face £436 price hike next year

The Liberal Democrats have called for rail fares to be frozen for the next 5 years after ministers refuse to say how much rail tickets will rise.

The government usually increases fares in line with the RPI rate of inflation which reached 9% in July. That would cause the price of a season ticket from Horsham to London to jump by £436 in a single year, making a grand total of £5,380.

The threatened rise comes despite repeated failures in service due to industrial action and the Government’s plans to close ticket offices at stations around the country. 

Our rail system is in chaos. The Lib Dems are also calling for a rethink over planned ticket office closures and for the Government to resolve all disputes so that passengers can experience some kind of normal service again.

John Milne, Liberal Democrat Spokesperson Horsham, said:

“Liberal Democrats are fighting for a fair deal for local commuters and families who will be left forking out even more for their train travel, right in the middle of a cost of living crisis.

“Ministers cannot keep turning a blind eye to these problems. We’re being expected to pay more, but what we get in return is more delays, more cancellations and industrial disputes the government seems incapable of solving.

“At the very moment we should be making clean forms of transport cheaper, this Conservative Government is determined to make rail more expensive than ever before.”