Labour has hit out athwart that call a “savage” increase in rail fares, after the government announced they will rise by up to 5.9% next year.<br /><br />The department for transport has announced a cap of 5.9% for increases to regulated fares from March 5. It said this is 6.4 percentage points lower than the inflation figure fare rises are historically based on.<br />Transport Secretary Mark Harper said: <br /><br />“I’m capping the rise well below inflation to help reduce the impact on passengers.<br /><br />In response Labour’s shadow transport secretary Louise Haigh said: “This savage fare hike will be a sick joke for millions reliant on crumbling services.<br /><br />“People up and down this country are paying the price for 12 years of Tory failure.”
