Rail fares in Wales to rise by 4.6% from March

Rail passengers in Wales will see an increase in regulated fares from 2 March, with an overall rise of 4.6%, the Welsh Government has announced.

The increase aligns with fare changes set by the UK Government, but Transport for Wales (TfW) will apply different rates to specific ticket types. Anytime Day Single fares will rise by 3%, 7-Day Season tickets by 3.5%, and Anytime Day Return and Off-Peak Return fares by 6%.

Ken Skates, Cabinet Secretary for Transport and North Wales, acknowledged that fare increases are “unwelcome for passengers” but said they were necessary to balance costs and reduce subsidies.

He said: “We understand that any increase in fares is unwelcome for passengers, but we have tried to keep the increase as low as possible.”

“It is also important to recognise that the increasing majority of passengers no longer use these regulated products.”

“They are a vestige of the privatised railway, established to ensure that private operators could not drive huge increases in fares to maximise their profits at the expense of passengers outside the control of Governments.”

“It is my hope that with the progress of rail reform, the return of railway services into the public sector that this will see the end of the need for regulated rail fares with public sector operators prioritising value for money for passengers.”