Commuters in Twickenham have welcomed the government’s budget announcement that it will freeze railway fares in England for the first time in three decades.
Chancellor Rachel Reeves reiterated her promise to ease the burden on working families in Parliament today – with season tickets, peak returns for commuters and off-peak returns between major cities in England to be frozen until at least March 2027.
This will apply only to train tickets regulated by the government – around 45% – as plans advance to renationalise all railways within the next five years under the Great British Railways company.
Susanna McGhee, who regularly commutes into London from Twickenham, the Londoners: “I’m very impressed with it actually. Maybe she should freeze a few other things as well.
“Everything has gone sky high in the last year. You spend £100 at the supermarket and come out with two bags of shopping.”
“I think Labour are putting us in a bigger hole than we were in before.”
Reeves said in a statement on Monday that freezing train prices – which rose by 4.6% in March – would ease the pressure on household finances and make travelling to work or see friends easier.
It remains unclear how this will affect London Underground fares, which are regulated by the Mayor and TfL, and tickets administered by train companies yet to be brought back into public ownership by the government.
Speaking about the Great British Railways scheme, Chris Bruce, a teacher from Harlesden, said: “At the moment these train operating companies are making massive profits.
“So I hope that the government stick to their word – if they don’t I think they’re going to be voted out at the next election.”
The budget came under fire from several commuters at Twickenham station, with a man identifying himself only as Jackson declaring it was “a load of hot air”.
Babita Evans, a commuter from Bracknell who once turned down a job in London due to ballooning travel costs, said: “Working people and small medium businesses are dreading the budget.
“This morning I got on the train from Bracknell to Waterloo – instead of ten carriages there were five. It’s great the Labour government has frozen train fares, but at what cost?”
Featured image credit: Jack Prentice
