Fares Increases From 7th September 2025

[MikeWM]

Split from https://www.railforums.co.uk/threads/gwr-fare-increases.287542/page-3#post-7460501

Not GWR, but I don't see this mentioned elsewhere - Great Northern have raised the price of their weekend Super Off Peak tickets, including travelcards, by about 4% from yesterday.

For Ely, that's an increase in the weekend travelcard price of over 15% from this time last year, and almost 25% from January 2024.

 

[Hadders]

A sneaky fares increase from GTR, my thoughts are that GTR are removing the weekend super off-peak tickets by stealth which probably required for Oval to be a success. Keep increasing the price until it becomes the same as the weekday price.

Looking at Stevenage to London Terminals.

March 2024 Fares
Off Peak Day Return £21.80
Weekend Super Off Peak Day Return £14.60

March 2025 fares:
Off Peak Day Return £22.80 (4.6% increase)
Weekend Super Off Peak Day Return £16.20 (11.0% increase)

September 2025 fares:
Off Peak Day Return £22.80
Weekend Super Off Peak Day Return £16.80 (a further 3.7% increase giving a total increase of 15.0% since March 2024)


Stevenage to London Zones 1-6 Travelcard.

March 2024 Fares
Off Peak Day Travelcard £32.70
Weekend Super Off Peak Day Travelcard £22.60

March 2025 fares:
Off Peak Day Travelcard £34.30 (4.9% increase)
Weekend Super Off Peak Day Travelcard £25.10 (11.1% increase)

September 2025 fares:
Off Peak Day Travelcard £34.30
Weekend Super Off Peak Day Travelcard £26.10 (a further 4.0% increase giving a total increase of 15.5% since March 2024)

 

[JonathanH]

A sneaky fares increase from GTR, my thoughts are that GTR are removing the weekend super off-peak tickets by stealth which probably required for Oval to be a success. Keep increasing the price until it becomes the same as the weekday price.

I think it was a late decision too. The fares seemed to change online about two weeks before 7 September, so it was implemented as an immediate change. For a while, the fares from ticket machines were at the old price and the fares online at the new higher price.

I agree that it seems likely these weekend tickets are being phased out. It has been good while they lasted.

One other weird GTR development has been the standardisation of fares from Redhill to all stations between Selhurst and Shepherds Bush at the same Redhill to Zone 2 price. Again this was implemented early. The 7 day season from Redhill to Selhurst lept from £57.80 to £84.60. There is no 'not via Clapham Junction' fare, so the 7 day Redhill to Zone 456 Travelcard season is now the cheapest way to do this. The anytime day return from Redhill to Selhurst was £12.10, and is now £25.80.

 

[MikeWM]

A sneaky fares increase from GTR, my thoughts are that GTR are removing the weekend super off-peak tickets by stealth which probably required for Oval to be a success. Keep increasing the price until it becomes the same as the weekday price.

Indeed, although (my personal opinions about contactless aside) it is unfortunate that the effect has spread out considerably further than the Oval area is likely to reach in the short/medium term.

Also the timing is unfortunate, as the amount of disruption on the line at weekends/holidays since 2020 (first covid, then strikes, then almost 3 years of regular weekend/holiday closures for Cambridge South and resignalling) has already meant some of us who used to be regular weekend travellers to London have changed habits. Huge price increases aren't going to help tempt us back.

In the end, £27.20 (with railcard) isn't objectively an unreasonable fare for a 70-mile round trip with a travelcard attached. But the psychological effect going from 'just over 20 quid' to 'almost 30 quid' in under 2 years is significantly off-putting - or at least it is for me.

On the plus side, GA haven't increased their GA-only travelcards from Cambridge this time around, so it is still possible for now to do Ely->London with travelcard for under £20 with railcard, albeit less conveniently.

 

[185143]

Indeed, although (my personal opinions about contactless aside) it is unfortunate that the effect has spread out considerably further than the Oval area is likely to reach in the short/medium term.

Also the timing is unfortunate, as the amount of disruption on the line at weekends/holidays since 2020 (first covid, then strikes, then almost 3 years of regular weekend/holiday closures for Cambridge South and resignalling) has already meant some of us who used to be regular weekend travellers to London have changed habits. Huge price increases aren't going to help tempt us back.

In the end, £27.20 (with railcard) isn't objectively an unreasonable fare for a 70-mile round trip with a travelcard attached. But the psychological effect going from 'just over 20 quid' to 'almost 30 quid' in under 2 years is significantly off-putting - or at least it is for me.

On the plus side, GA haven't increased their GA-only travelcards from Cambridge this time around, so it is still possible for now to do Ely->London with travelcard for under £20 with railcard, albeit less conveniently.

Arguably you're getting a return to London for £16.20, once you subtract the cost of an Inboundary Travelcard. So not much more than 2 pints when you get there.

I fully get what you mean though, a day travelcard from Crewe (WMT only) was £35 a couple of years ago. More than happy to pay that. Now it's £39.05 which feels far to close to £40 for my liking, hence I buy them a lot less now. £28 for a 2hr 20mins and 158 mile journey each way is pretty damn good given after 8AM it's unrestricted, but the psychological effect...

Go back to pre Covid times and I could regularly do a return with advances for less than £15 with travelling down on the first 'peak time train'. But that's consigned to history now and given how busy WMT Crewe services tend to be these days, I'd say fair enough in all honesty. Shame as going Rugby-Euston non stop on a 350 was great fun!

 

[MikeWM]

Arguably you're getting a return to London for £16.20, once you subtract the cost of an Inboundary Travelcard. So not much more than 2 pints when you get there.

I suppose we're fortunate the cost of rail tickets hasn't increased to the degree that beer has over the last few years!

but the psychological effect...

Yep, exactly the issue for me (at least). Things that objectively are still reasonable value, don't feel as such when they were even better value not so long ago.

 

[185143]

I suppose we're fortunate the cost of rail tickets hasn't increased to the degree that beer has over the last few years!



Yep, exactly the issue for me (at least). Things that objectively are still reasonable value, don't feel as such when they were even better value not so long ago.

There is that!

 

[freddie1729]

A sneaky fares increase from GTR, my thoughts are that GTR are removing the weekend super off-peak tickets by stealth which probably required for Oval to be a success. Keep increasing the price until it becomes the same as the weekday price.

Is there any reason why the fares for Oval can't be cheaper at the weekend?

 

[Hadders]

Is there any reason why the fares for Oval can't be cheaper at the weekend?

The PAYG contactless system across the southeast only supports two fares levels - peak and off-peak. This has been the case since Oyster PAYG started more than 20 years ago.

I’ll greatly mourn the loss of these fares, if they do end up going, but when people constantly say rail fares are too complicated and want them simplified, fares increases is what often results.

I’ve been warning about it for years…

 

[Haywain]

Is there any reason why the fares for Oval can't be cheaper at the weekend?

As above, we'll not only be losing the weekend Super Off Peak fares, we'll also lose the weekday version. With an afternoon peak period thrown in, that will amount to some significant price hikes.

 

[Hadders]

Here's a copy of a post I wrote in 2019 about the impact of contactless at Brookmans Park.

Potters Bar and Brookmans Park Fare Observations

Sorry if this should probably go in an existing thread, but I didn't want to hijack any discussions. I looked into how this affects the market for someone who travels from this area to London during weekday off-peak, returns on a different day and is happy to avoid zone 1 if the journey is...

www.railforums.co.uk

Let's look at Brookmans Park to London which must be the most popular flow.

Current paper tickets to Kings Cross:
Anytime Day Return 15.00
Off Peak Day Return (no evening restrictions) 9.90
Super Off Peak Day Return 9.60
Weekend Super Off Peak Day Return 7.00

Contactless fares:
Peak 7.50
Off Peak 4.90

So a passenger travelling out in the morning peak and back in the evening peak pays £15 the same as an Anytime paper ticket
A passenger travelling out off peak and back off peak will pay £9.80 compared to £9.60 at present. Small difference but nothing to be too worried about
A passenger travelling out off peak but back in the evening peak will pay £12.40 compared to £9.90 at present. An increase of 25%
A weekend traveller will pay £9.80 compared to £7.00 at present. An increase of 40%

It gets even worse for railcard holders especially at weekends where the current railcard discounted fare is £4.60. Use contactless and you'll pay £9.80 - an increase of 113%

Will there be prominently displayed posters at the station advising passengers that contactless is more expensive for some off peak travel and all travel to London at weekends? Of course not, they'll be reassured by the local MP and SoS for Transport who'll tell them that Contactless will make their journeys cheaper.

 

[JonathanH]

Some interesting wording in Southern's news story about the change in fares from 7 September.

Rail fares have changed

Fare changes from 7 September 2025

What do I need to know?
* From Sunday 7th September, there will be small changes to those weekend Super Off-Peak fares that are available.
* There are no changes to fares on weekdays or the price of Anytime, Off-Peak and Advance tickets, which are used on most journeys, with the exception of a few stations where some small alterations are needed in preparation for the extension of Contactless payments later this year.
* Advance tickets still offer the best value for money for those who plan ahead and know what time they want to travel, with the weekend Super Off-Peak tickets offering more flexibility.
* London North Eastern Railway (LNER) are also making changes to fares for journeys between stations between Newcastle and Edinburgh, and the national rail stations within London fare zones 1-4 and stations between Stevenage and London King’s Cross. More information is available on the LNER website.

Why have fares changed?
* With more people travelling on weekends than ever, we’re adjusting the savings Super Off Peak fares offer on Saturdays and Sundays to better reflect changes in demand on some of our routes. Customers can still enjoy attractive fares through our weekend Super Off-Peak and Advance ticket options.
*As the railway is publicly funded, all ticket sales are received by the Government and help to cover the cost of running the railway. These small changes will help to reduce the gap between costs and funding to help support services today and improvement plans for the future.

So, the fares are considered too cheap, because they are encouraging demand, and Phase 2 of Project Oval is coming before the end of year. Essentially the phase out of these weekend tickets we often discuss.

 

[Watershed]

"Adjusting the savings" is a very misleading way of saying "increasing the price"...

It would be a lot better if they were honest about what they are doing rather than trying to sweep it under the carpet.

 

[Sonic1234]

Unfortunately people like contactless. If you go to the areas beyond Zone 6 which accept contactless on the weekend, almost everyone taps in and out, even though they would be better with a weekend paper ticket.

I've always thought the aim of Oval is to hide the fares. I doubt many people could tell you what they are paying.

 

[redreni]

Unfortunately people like contactless.

Then let them pay over the odds for it! Leave the price of tickets alone!

 

[yorksrob]

I’ll greatly mourn the loss of these fares, if they do end up going, but when people constantly say rail fares are too complicated and want them simplified, fares increases is what often results.

I’ve been warning about it for years…

"people" don't. People are very clear that they want cheaper fares.

 

[MikeWh]

"people" don't. People are very clear that they want cheaper fares.

Yes they do. But they also complain that fares are too complicated. Which they are. They don't realise that complaining about complexities means that fares will rise when they are simplified.

 

[redreni]

Yes they do. But they also complain that fares are too complicated. Which they are. They don't realise that complaining about complexities means that fares will rise when they are simplified.

Through the simple technique of asking nicely and hopefully persuasively, I did manage to get both the Campaign for Better Transport and Gareth Dennis to replace the phrase "simpler fares" with "simpler, more affordable fares" in some of their tweets etc.

It would, of course, be possible to have both if a big increase in subsidy were accepted. On the other hand, and returning to the real world, if the government's intention is to use fares to price off demand and extract as much revenue as possible from as few passengers as possible, then of course their most effective course will be to do that under the guise of "simplification". Consequently, arguably calling for simplification at all just plays into their hands.

 

[yorksrob]

Yes they do. But they also complain that fares are too complicated. Which they are. They don't realise that complaining about complexities means that fares will rise when they are simplified.

The only reason they're too complicated is that people can't find a reasonably priced fare. Passengers shouldn't be blamed for the perfidious actions of the DfT. The DfT/Treasury/railway management know full well what the travelling public are asking for, however much they try to obfuscate.

 

[35B]

The only reason they're too complicated is that people can't find a reasonably priced fare. Passengers shouldn't be blamed for the perfidious actions of the DfT. The DfT/Treasury/railway management know full well what the travelling public are asking for, however much they try to obfuscate.

Sorry, but that’s cobblers.

There’s always been complexity since promotional fares were introduced. Those promotional fares exist because not all seats can be sold at “normal” prices.

On a network where many trains run overloaded, the idea that fares should universally come down suggests that demand should be increased regardless of supply.

Where surveys have been done on the fares people actually pay, Britain tends to come out mid table.

The real challenge, pointed to by demands for both “simplification” and “lower fares” is the range of rules and their inconsistent and often harsh enforcement. Get that tidier, and the sense of fairness will improve.

In the meantime, the best way to control fares will be to control costs. The industry inability to do that is a large part of why there’s a cost transfer to fares from the taxpayer, and why so many projects have been pulled.

In parallel, I’d welcome giving the industry genuine freedom to promote itself - but without Treasury underwriting, and the restrictions that go with that.

 

[yorksrob]

Sorry, but that’s cobblers.

There’s always been complexity since promotional fares were introduced. Those promotional fares exist because not all seats can be sold at “normal” prices.

On a network where many trains run overloaded, the idea that fares should universally come down suggests that demand should be increased regardless of supply.

Where surveys have been done on the fares people actually pay, Britain tends to come out mid table.

The real challenge, pointed to by demands for both “simplification” and “lower fares” is the range of rules and their inconsistent and often harsh enforcement. Get that tidier, and the sense of fairness will improve.

In the meantime, the best way to control fares will be to control costs. The industry inability to do that is a large part of why there’s a cost transfer to fares from the taxpayer, and why so many projects have been pulled.

In parallel, I’d welcome giving the industry genuine freedom to promote itself - but without Treasury underwriting, and the restrictions that go with that.

No, you're wrong.

Given the choice between "simpler fares" and "lower fares" passengers will choose lower ones. However, the unscrupulous railway establishment only offers "simpler" fares. Passengers certainly don't want simpler higher fares.

Arguably cheap day/off peak/peak with cheaper advance purchase is simple enough, however it doesn't work when operators mess around with the main components (getting rid of off-peak, preposterous anytime etc).

 

[redreni]

No, you're wrong.

Given the choice between "simpler fares" and "lower fares" passengers will choose lower ones. However, the unscrupulous railway establishment only offers "simpler" fares. Passengers certainly don't want simpler higher fares.

Arguably cheap day/off peak/peak with cheaper advance purchase is simple enough, however it doesn't work when operators mess around with the main components (getting rid of off-peak, preposterous anytime etc).

Agreed. Reasons why fares shouldn't be lower (e.g. lack of capacity) have got nothing to do with what passengers want.

 

[35B]

No, you're wrong.

Given the choice between "simpler fares" and "lower fares" passengers will choose lower ones. However, the unscrupulous railway establishment only offers "simpler" fares. Passengers certainly don't want simpler higher fares.

Arguably cheap day/off peak/peak with cheaper advance purchase is simple enough, however it doesn't work when operators mess around with the main components (getting rid of off-peak, preposterous anytime etc).

In which case, I presume the evidence of demand is just mistaken?

I remember when fares were kept artificially low - demand was suppressed by rationing, and quality took a dive.

Of course people want fares to be as low as possible - who wouldn’t? But if you actually look at what people do, rather than what they say, the picture’s a lot murkier.

If subsidy increased, then I’d completely agree that fares could fall, depending quite how that subsidy was assigned. But if subsidy remains at its present level (and forget whether you think that’s right or wrong), then the question is about how the railway earns the rest of the income they need.

 

[Haywain]

If subsidy increased,

If subsidy increased, I'd be inclined to think that there are many better things the money could be spent on than lower fares.

 

[35B]

If subsidy increased, I'd be inclined to think that there are many better things the money could be spent on than lower fares.

Indeed, though if supply increased (e.g. longer trains with more seats), that would also lend itself to reducing fares

 

[Joe Paxton]

The PAYG contactless system across the southeast only supports two fares levels - peak and off-peak. This has been the case since Oyster PAYG started more than 20 years ago.
[...]

I imagine the PAYG contactless system could ultimately (be made to) support multiple levels of fares, given it works via back-office processing - the fact there are currently only two levels (peak and off-peak) is a legacy of Oyster, which can only support two levels of fares (given the fares calculations happen in 'real time' as the interaction point between card and validator)... which will be the case until the next-gen 'account based' Oyster system eventually takes over (though I can see potential issues with that).

 

[Kite159]

I imagine the PAYG contactless system could ultimately (be made to) support multiple levels of fares, given it works via back-office processing - the fact there are currently only two levels (peak and off-peak) is a legacy of Oyster, which can only support two levels of fares (given the fares calculations happen in 'real time' as the interaction point between card and validator)... which will be the case until the next-gen 'account based' Oyster system eventually takes over (though I can see potential issues with that).

Don't give TfL any ideas into 'Super Peak' fares when things are expected to be extra busy. Want to travel from Wembley Park to Central London after an event at Wembley, that will be £20 for a single please, and no we are not going to tell you it's Super-Peak hours until after you leave the system.

 

[Cletus]

Just noticed a hefty Southeastern increase to a ticket I sometimes use.
The minimum for a Dover Priory - St Pancras advance ticket is now £26.40. Until recently (July) it was £16.20.