Rail travellersface higher prices

The cap on the price of regulated fares will be lifted from the current rate of one per cent above retail price index (RPI) to three per cent, leaving commuters with extra charges worth hundreds of pounds.

Based on current levels, the rise means that season ticket prices will go up by almost eight per cent next year and around 30 per cent over the three-year period following 2012.

The RPI in July was 4.8 per cent and if it stays the same for the three years following January 2012, season ticket prices will rocket. An annual pass from York to Leeds, currently priced at 1,756, would cost 2,217come January 2014