Rail fares could be frozen in bid to get commuters back to work after coronavirus
RAIL fares could be frozen in a bid to get commuters back to work after coronavirus.
Many tickets are set to cost 1.6 percent more in January but MPs have warned that a price hike would "contradict" the Government's "back to work" message.
Ticket prices are set to be examined in autumn alongside a wider package of reforms, also expected to look at introducing flexible season tickets.
Rail minister Chris Heaton-Harris said he expected "any fare rise to be the lowest in four years," which would mean any hike would need to be less than the 1.1 percent in 2016.
Mr Heaton-Harris told : "Taxpayers have been very generous in their support to keep trains running throughout the coronavirus pandemic and, whilst it's only fair that passengers also contribute to maintaining and improving the services they use, a lower rise will help ensure the system returns to strength."
Many commuters have already saved hundreds from not having to commute to work when the nation was put in lockdown.
And former Conservative Party leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith said a rise "wouldn't make much sense" for a government trying to get people back to their workplaces.
Just a third of white collar workers have returned to the office and there has been a 23 percent drop in rail users since March.
Flexible season tickets are being trialled in the south east and north of England. They let commuters come in on fewer days each week.
How to save money on train tickets
HERE are some top tips to help you save cash on rail fares.
Split tickets
If you're taking a lengthy train journey then you could save hundreds of pounds by splitting your tickets.
You won't need to change trains and National Rail lets you split your ticket as long as the train calls at the station you buy the tickets for.
One site that works this out for you is .
Buy a season ticket
Regular travellers should be able to save by purchasing either a seven day, monthly or annual season ticket, which will allow them to make the journey an unlimited number of times as long as it's valid.
If you're making the same journey on three or more days a week, then a seven-day season ticket is likely to save you money, compared to buying a new one every day.
You can check to see if a season ticket will save you money on your trip with .
Consider Carnet tickets for London travel
If you often travel back and forth to London on the train but you don't go regularly enough to buy season ticket, you might save with a Carnet ticket.
This gives you ten single journeys to or from London for the price of nine.
Tickets are valid for three months and you can buy books of peak (anytime) or off-peak tickets.
Book at least 12 weeks in advance
Network Rail releases its timetable 12 weeks in advance, so ticket firms usually make their fares available at this time.
Just like plane tickets, the earlier you book the lower the price you'll pay for your seat.
You can sign up to the and it will tell you when cheap advance tickets go on sale for a particular journey.
Also, the shows the furthest advance date that you can buy tickets.
Save money with a Railcard
If you're a regular traveller then a railcard should shave a third off the price of your ticket.
Just make sure you'll make more in savings over a year than the price of the Railcard. See for more information.
The Transport committee chairman Huw Merriman added: "I think what's important is that the rail industry is giving consumers value for money."
He called for the Williams Review, expected to advocate ripping up Britain's rail franchise system, to be "launched immediately."
And business leaders urged the Government to scrap the "outdated" yearly fares rise in order to get workers back in the office.
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Campaign for Better Transport chief executive Darren Shirley said the Government risks "permanently diminishing the public transport system" if they do not ensure the railway is affordable for commuters whose needs have changed since lockdown.
Leader of train drivers' union Aslef Mick Whelan dismissed any fare rise as "entirely inappropriate."
He called on the Government to announce no price hike next year.