As millions of rail passengers prepare to face strikes that will continue until the end of this year, train operators have revealed fares will rise well above the consumer price index in 2020.
The Independent has calculated that some passengers will pay more than £1 per mile.
Train fares will rise on average by 2.7 per cent from 2 January next year. That is 0.1 per cent below the retail price index (RPI) in July 2019, to which “regulated fares” are normally pegged. But it is nearly twice the latest consumer price index (CPI), which in October was 1.5 per cent.
Between London and Manchester, the Anytime one-way fare will rise by £5 to £180. Services will be operated by Avanti, which is taking over from Virgin Trains on the West Coast main line
On the same day, Avanti’s Anytime fare from Watford Junction to Rugby is set to increase to £65.20. That takes the price per mile above £1 per mile.
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School children and students take part in the Youth Strike for Climate in London as part of the Fridays for Future Global Climate Strike
Angela Christofilou/The Independent
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PA
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Andrew Fusek Peters / SWNS
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SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon plays with local children during a visit to the Jelly Tots & Cookies Play Cafe in Uddingston, South Lanarkshire
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Prime Minister Boris Johnson poses with sheep as he visits the Royal Welsh Showground, in Llanelwedd, Builth Wells, whilst on the General Election campaign trail
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Getty Images
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8/50 22 November 2019
Gallery assistants adjust ‘The Ancient Town of Uglich’ by Konstantin Yuon, 1913, estimated at £600,000 to £800,000, during a press preview of the sale of works by some of the most pre-eminent creators of Russian art at Sotheby’s in London
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9/50 21 November 2019
A mother seal appears to hug her pup as grey seals return to Donna Nook National Nature Reserve in Lincolnshire, where they come every year in late autumn and winter to give birth
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EPA
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BBC/PA
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Brazilian indigenous leader, Kreta Kaingang from the Kaingang People, holds a petition letter with over 200,000 signatures asking the UK government to suspend trade talks with Brazil until the Amazon and its people are protected, as he poses outside 10 Downing Street
AFP via Getty
16/50 14 November 2019
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Snow falling in Glyn Ceiriog near Llangollen in Denbighshire
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Scottish National Party candidates, including SNP Westminster leader Ian Blackford (centre left) and Nicola Sturgeon (centre), with a Brexit message at the party’s General Election campaign launch in Edinburgh
PA
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British Prime Minister Boris Johnson makes a statement to announce the general election at Downing Street in London, Britain
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SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon joins Alyn Smith, the SNP’s candidate for Stirling, at the Made in Stirling Store and Creative Hub, during the general election campaign trail
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Paul Hayes of Lower Lydbrook ferries children to dry land after the River Wye burst its banks flooding the Gloucestershire village
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Cosplayers during the third day of London’s Comic Con
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Thirty-nine bodies have been found in a lorry container in Essex, police have said.
The discovery of 38 adults and one teenager was made at an industrial estate in Thurrock.
Police said they believed the lorry had come from Bulgaria and entered the UK at Holyhead, in Wales, on Saturday.
Essex Police said it had launched a murder investigation after its officers were called to Waterglade Industrial Park, in Grays, in the early hours of Wednesday morning.
A 25-year-old-man from Northern Ireland has been arrested on suspicion of murder
PA
39/50 22 October 2019
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PA
40/50 21 October 2019
Hundreds of students take part in the traditional Raisin Monday foam fight on St Salvator’s Lower College Lawn at the University of St Andrews in Fife. The messy display is the culmination of a weekend of festivities where first years say thank you to their more senior student “parents” for mentoring them
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Wales players celebrate after beating France in their Rugby World Cup quarter-final in Japan. Warren Gatland’s side had to battle after France’s fast start but capitalised on their rivals’ ill discipline to squeeze into the semi-finals, 20-19
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50/50 11 October 2019
Richard Ratcliffe, husband of British-Iranian aid worker Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe jailed in Tehran since 2016, holds his daughter Gabriella during a news conference in London. Their five-year-old daughter has arrived back in Britain, after making the “bittersweet” decision to bring her home
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1/50 29 November 2019
School children and students take part in the Youth Strike for Climate in London as part of the Fridays for Future Global Climate Strike
Angela Christofilou/The Independent
2/50 28 November 2019
Cyclists make their way up a tree lined hill near to Moor Crichel in Dorset. November’s dismal weather will finally change, with drier and colder conditions coming for the start of December, forecasters have said
PA
3/50 27 November 2019
The moment a swan flew over a flock of 60,000 starlings as dusk fell on Whixall Moss Nature Reserve in Shropshire
Andrew Fusek Peters / SWNS
4/50 26 November 2019
SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon plays with local children during a visit to the Jelly Tots & Cookies Play Cafe in Uddingston, South Lanarkshire
PA
5/50 25 November 2019
Prime Minister Boris Johnson poses with sheep as he visits the Royal Welsh Showground, in Llanelwedd, Builth Wells, whilst on the General Election campaign trail
PA
6/50 24 November 2019
Cush Jumbo attends the 65th Evening Standard Theatre Awards at London Coliseum
Getty Images
7/50 23 November 2019
Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn meets a supporter on a train on his return from a visit to Sheffield
PA
8/50 22 November 2019
Gallery assistants adjust ‘The Ancient Town of Uglich’ by Konstantin Yuon, 1913, estimated at £600,000 to £800,000, during a press preview of the sale of works by some of the most pre-eminent creators of Russian art at Sotheby’s in London
PA
9/50 21 November 2019
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PA
10/50 20 November 2019
After Mauricio Pochettino’s sacking the eveninfg before newly appointed Tottenham head coach, Jose Mourinho, takes his first training session in charge
Tottenham Hotspur FC via Getty
11/50 19 November 2019
Prime Minister Boris Johnson during a visit to Jimmy Egan’s Boxing Academy at Wythenshawe, while on the campaign trail ahead of the General Election
PA
12/50 18 November 2019
Mist over Buttermere lake in the Lake District
PA
13/50 17 November 2019
Stefanos Tsitsipas lifts the winners trophy after beating Dominic Thiem at the ATP World Tour Finals tennis tournament in London
EPA
14/50 16 November 2019
Duke of York, speaking for the first time about his links to Jeffrey Epstein in an interview with BBC Newsnight’s Emily Maitlis
BBC/PA
15/50 15 November 2019
Brazilian indigenous leader, Kreta Kaingang from the Kaingang People, holds a petition letter with over 200,000 signatures asking the UK government to suspend trade talks with Brazil until the Amazon and its people are protected, as he poses outside 10 Downing Street
AFP via Getty
16/50 14 November 2019
Spanning all four spaces and the corridor of the White Cube Bermondsey gallery Anselm Kiefer’s new exhibition encompasses large-scale painting and installation
Rex Features
17/50 13 November 2019
Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn wears a pair of mittens that say ‘Pick Pam’, referring to Labour MP Pam Duncan-Glancy (not pictured) as he visits the Heart of Scotstoun Community Centre in Glasgow
Getty
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Head glass conservator Sam Kelly inspects the Angeli Laudantes and Angeli Ministrantes stained glass windows at Salisbury Cathedral as restoration work to clean, conserve and restore the windows, installed in 1879, gets underway
PA
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PA
20/50 10 November 2019
World War II Supermarine Spitfire fighter performs a flyover over White Cliffs of Dover during Remembrance Sunday celebrations
Reuters
21/50 9 November 2019
Snow falling in Glyn Ceiriog near Llangollen in Denbighshire
Steffan Williams/PA
22/50 8 November 2019
Scottish National Party candidates, including SNP Westminster leader Ian Blackford (centre left) and Nicola Sturgeon (centre), with a Brexit message at the party’s General Election campaign launch in Edinburgh
PA
23/50 7 November 2019
Delivery lorry stuck in flood water at Coston Ford, Leicestershire after heavy rainfall in the area
PA
24/50 6 November 2019
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson makes a statement to announce the general election at Downing Street in London, Britain
Reuters
25/50 5 November 2019
Liberal Democrat leader Jo Swinson speaking at the launch of their general election campaign at the Institute of Civil Engineers in London
PA
26/50 4 November 2019
Pelicans in St James’s Park in central London
AFP/Getty
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Dancers perform a mass Ghoomar dance during Diwali celebrations in Trafalgar Square, London
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28/50 2 November 2019
Campaigners listen as SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon addresses a rally calling for Scottish independence in Glasgow
AFP via Getty
29/50 1 November 2019
Police and recovery workers remove a damaged bus from the scene of a crash in Sevenoaks Road, south-east London. A man has been arrested on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving after a person died and 15 others were injured
PA
30/50 31 October 2019
Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn gestures as launches the party’s election campaign in south London. Britain will go to the polls on December 12
AFP via Getty
31/50 30 October 2019
SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon joins Alyn Smith, the SNP’s candidate for Stirling, at the Made in Stirling Store and Creative Hub, during the general election campaign trail
PA
32/50 29 October 2019
A 1264 locomotive travels through an autumn scene along the North York Moors National Park
PA
33/50 28 October 2019
Paul Hayes of Lower Lydbrook ferries children to dry land after the River Wye burst its banks flooding the Gloucestershire village
PA
34/50 27 October 2019
Cosplayers during the third day of London’s Comic Con
PA
35/50 26 October 2019
England fans celebrate after their side beat New Zealand in the Rugby World Cup semi-final match in Japan. Eddie Jones’s side won 19-7
PA
36/50 25 October 2019
Meerkats at Blair Drummond Safari Park, Stirling, investigate a carved pumpkin as the park celebrates national pumpkin day on Saturday October 26.
PA
37/50 24 October 2019
A giant inflatable monster, created by artists Filthy Luker and Pedro Estrellas, is unveiled in Manchester ahead of the city’s annual halloween celebrations
PA
38/50 23 October 2019
Thirty-nine bodies have been found in a lorry container in Essex, police have said.
The discovery of 38 adults and one teenager was made at an industrial estate in Thurrock.
Police said they believed the lorry had come from Bulgaria and entered the UK at Holyhead, in Wales, on Saturday.
Essex Police said it had launched a murder investigation after its officers were called to Waterglade Industrial Park, in Grays, in the early hours of Wednesday morning.
A 25-year-old-man from Northern Ireland has been arrested on suspicion of murder
PA
39/50 22 October 2019
Ships out at sea before the sun rises off the coast of Whitley Bay, Northumberland
PA
40/50 21 October 2019
Hundreds of students take part in the traditional Raisin Monday foam fight on St Salvator’s Lower College Lawn at the University of St Andrews in Fife. The messy display is the culmination of a weekend of festivities where first years say thank you to their more senior student “parents” for mentoring them
PA
41/50 20 October 2019
Wales players celebrate after beating France in their Rugby World Cup quarter-final in Japan. Warren Gatland’s side had to battle after France’s fast start but capitalised on their rivals’ ill discipline to squeeze into the semi-finals, 20-19
Reuters
42/50 19 October 2019
People gather in London to join the Final Say march for a people’s vote
Angela Christofilou/The Independent
43/50 18 October 2019
Protesters on Whitehall in London during an Extinction Rebellion climate change protest
PA
44/50 17 October 2019
European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker and Britain’s Prime Minister Boris Johnson shake hands during a news conference after agreeing on a Brexit deal, in Brussels
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45/50 16 October 2019
A man walks his dog through the fallen leaves in Clarkes Gardens, Allerton in Liverpool
PA
46/50 15 October 2019
Police officers carry away an activist as Extinction Rebellion protesters block a road with a caravan in central London
Reuters
47/50 14 October 2019
Queen Elizabeth II sits with Prince Charles on the Sovereign’s throne ahead of delivering the Queen’s Speech at the State Opening of Parliament
AFP
48/50 13 October 2019
Great Britain’s Joe Fraser competes on Parallel Bars during the World Gymnastics Championships in Stuttgart, Germany. He claimed GB’s second gold with his victory. The 20-year-old from Birmingham nailed his routine to score 15.0 then watched as a series of rivals failed to live up to his total
Getty
49/50 12 October 2019
St Helens players celebrate with the trophy after they won the Super League Grand Final at Old Trafford in Manchester. They beat Salford Red Devils 23-6
PA
50/50 11 October 2019
Richard Ratcliffe, husband of British-Iranian aid worker Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe jailed in Tehran since 2016, holds his daughter Gabriella during a news conference in London. Their five-year-old daughter has arrived back in Britain, after making the “bittersweet” decision to bring her home
AFP/Getty
Commuters from the transport secretary’s constituency will pay an extra £83 a year to get to work in London from the start of 2020.
An annual season ticket to the capital from Welwyn Garden City, which Grant Shapps represents, will rise from £3,016 to £3,097.
On South Western Railway (SWR), commuters will pay £90 more for an annual season ticket from Woking to London Waterloo – the busiest station in Britain. The fare rises to £3,438.
The increase takes effect almost as soon as a one-month strike by members of the RMT union employed by SWR ends. They are stopping work on almost every day in December in a dispute over the role of guards.
A Cardiff-London off-peak return, currently £81.30, increases by £2.20. Between Bristol and Newcastle, a £162.95 return will rise to £167.35.
The Rail Delivery Group (RDG), representing train operators, says it is the third year in a row that train companies have held the average change across all fares below the July RPI measure of inflation.
Paul Plummer, the RDG’s chief executive, said: “Passengers will benefit from 1,000 extra, improved train carriages and over 1,000 extra weekly services in 2020.
“The industry will continue to push for changes to fares regulations to enable a better range of affordable, mix-and-match fares and reduced overcrowding on some of the busiest routes.”
The chief executive of the Campaign for Better Transport, Darren Shirley, said: “January’s above-inflation [CPI] fare rise will no doubt leave passengers dismayed after years of appalling service.
“With little relief in sight for many from delays, cancellations and overcrowding it will be an inauspicious start to the new year for the railway.”
The rise was announced as members of the RMT union working for West Midlands Railway begin their latest Saturday strike.
Staff are stopping work on the network, centred on Birmingham, in a parallel dispute over the role of guards. They will strike every Saturday until the end of the year.