Rail fares increase by up to 2.5 per cent

Commuters are being hit with an increase in season ticket prices and some off-peak and anytime fares.

The cost of an annual season ticket between Wakefield to Leeds has risen by 1.2 per cent, from £992 to £1,004.

And a weekly ticket will now cost £25.10.

Since 2007, West Yorkshire’s fare rises have been higher than in other areas because of an extra three per cent to fund extra carriages on trains across the county.

Martin Abrams, from the Campaign for Better Transport, said: “Yet again, the government is hiking up commuter rail fares.

“Ticket prices are rising much faster than wages which means getting to work takes up an increasing share of incomes, hitting both household budgets and the economy.

“The government urgently needs to adopt a fairer approach to ticketing, bringing fares down and introducing more flexible tickets to help groups like the millions who work part-time.”

The government said fares were crucial to funding rail modernisation.

Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin said: “We are investing in the biggest rail modernisation since the Victorian era and fares have a crucial role to play in funding these improvements.

“This is because building better infrastructure helps create jobs, building a stronger economy for us all.

“We recognise passengers’ concerns about the cost of rail fares. This is why we have frozen them for the second year in a row. We are protecting passengers even further by stopping operating companies from increasing individual fares by up to two per cent more.”