Patrick Hurley, Member of Parliament for Southport, has today welcomed the Government’s freeze on rail fares – the first in 30 years.
Chancellor Rachel Reeves announced the freeze ahead of the Budget this week, promising to save commuters hundreds of pounds on some of the busiest routes in the country, after decades of spiralling fares.
For example, a typical commuter travelling to work 3 days a week using flexi-season tickets will save £150 per year when travelling from Liverpool to Manchester, whilst a family of four can save £12.30 on a weekend trip from Liverpool to York.
This is combined with the Government providing Metro Mayors with £1.3 billion to spend on local transport for 2025/26 alongside £650m of funding for local transport beyond the City Regions, ensuring that transport connections improve across all of Southport’s towns, villages and rural areas, not just in our major cities.
Southport MP Patrick Hurley said:
“This historic freeze will give much-needed breathing space for families across Southport and the Northern Parishes. The Government understands the cost pressures working people face.
“And we also understand that the economy only works when it works for everyone – including making sure it’s affordable for people to travel to work and get where they need to.
“This is a positive first step towards creating an affordable, reliable and comfortable public transport offering for Southport and the Northern Parishes.”
Alongside the fare freeze, the Government is working with rail companies to create a Performance Restoration Framework, with five clear areas of focus to recover performance to acceptable levels, as well as displaying punctuality and cancellations at each station for the first time.
This is a step towards rebuilding trust with passengers in the rail industry as we continue to tackle the root causes of frustrating delays and cancellations.
This announcement comes ahead of this week’s Budget, which the Government has said will focus on the priorities of the British people: cutting waiting lists, cutting the national debt and cutting the cost of living.
The Government’s wider plans for Britain’s railways include establishing a new publicly-owned company called Great British Railways that will run and manage the tracks and trains used every day – ending years of fragmentation, driving up standards for passengers, and making journeys easier and better value for money.
GBR will be accountable to passengers and taxpayers, bringing fares and ticketing into the 21st century, including through a new GBR website and app and building on the expansion of successful Pay As You Go and fares trials across the country.
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