Train fares to rise by 2.3% in 2017

Train fares are set to increase by more than the rate of inflation next year, which must be little comfort for public sector workers faced with a pay freeze. This has brought muted protests from commuters and closer scrutiny of what determines fares.

A decade of fare rises from 2004 and largely attributable to a change in the way that fares are paid, with an ever smaller proportion of fares being financed out of the public purse, and a greater proportion coming from users of the rail service.

In addition, the nation's creaking rail infrastructure is also in need of considerable investment given rising demand for train travel.