TSSA accuses train companies of “pricing workers off the railways”

TSSA today accused train operating companies (TOCs) of “pricing workers off the railways” after the ORR announced that ticket prices across Great Britain had risen by 5.1% in the last year.

The increase in ticket prices compares sharply with the RPI rate of inflation of 3.2% meaning ticket prices have risen faster than housing, food and council tax costs in the last year.  

TSSA General Secretary, Maryam Eslamdoust, said: “By raising ticket prices the train operating companies are pricing workers off the railway.

“At a time when many people are having to choose between heating and eating, it’s outrageous for train companies to increase rail fares by more than the rate of inflation.

“As train companies move into Great British Railways TSSA is urging the Department for Transport to keep ticket prices affordable so that we can get people out of their cars and onto the railways.

“If we want public transport to be fully used by the public, it has to be priced for the public. Affordable fares mean full trains & cleaner air.”

ENDS

Notes to Editors

The full report can be found here:  https://dataportal.orr.gov.uk/statistics/finance/rail-fares/

Key findings include:

• Rail fares across Great Britain increased by 5.1% in 2025 compared with a 3.2% increase in the Retail Prices Index (RPI) between March 2024 and March 2025.
• Regulated rail fares increased by 4.5%, slightly under the cap set for England and Wales of 4.6%. Fares in Scotland increased by 3.8% in April 2025.
• Fares in the London and South East sector, which accounts for almost half of all fare revenue, increased by 5.2% compared with 2024. Long distance and Regional fares increased by 5.4% and 4.0% respectively.

*TSSA is an independent trade union for the transport and travel industries. We have thousands of members right across the UK and Ireland, working for the railways and associated companies, as well as ferries, bus services and the travel trade.