The mayors of Greater Manchester and the Liverpool city region have demanded a freeze in rail fares after months of travel chaos across the country.
In a joint letter to the transport secretary, Chris Grayling, the mayors Andy Burnham and Steve Rotherham said the anticipated 3.5% rise in fares would “add insult to injury” for beleaguered passengers.
The annual cost of getting to work for many long-distance travellers is expected to rise by more than £150 next year.
The exact increase will be confirmed when the July retail prices index (RPI) measure of inflation is released by the Office for National Statistics on Wednesday, but economists from Investec and the EY Item Club both predict the figure will be announced as 3.5%.
More than 9,000 Northern rail services have been cut from the schedules over the past two months after the introduction of a new timetable, which also caused disruption on various London commuter lines. Thousands of passengers are still waiting to receive enhanced compensation.
The disruption led to the government vetoing further timetable changes expected in December, which means upgrades in areas such as the West Midlands, the west of England and along South Western Railway routes have been cancelled or delayed indefinitely.
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