Written question asked by Jim Cunningham (Labour) on Wednesday, 20 January 2016, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 25 January 2016 (named day). It was answered by Claire O'Neill (Conservative) on Monday, 25 January 2016 on behalf of the Department for Transport.

Railways: Greater London

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will take steps to ensure that London is accessible by rail to people who cannot afford peak-time prices and are on lower incomes, when they are travelling to London for meetings during working hours.

Answer: We recognise the pressure and concerns about the cost of some rail fares and the impact that this can have on people’s budgets which is why we have capped the rail fares we regulate at inflation (Retail Price Index) for three years running, and will continue to do so for the life of this Parliament. This means those commuter fares we regulate are only rising by 1% in 2016 making it the lowest fare increase since 2010. Keeping ticket prices low will benefit over a quarter of a million annual season ticket holders, providing an average saving of £425 over the next five years.

Secondary information