Welsh transport company TfW have said a rise in train fares is to come into effect later this month, despite the ongoing national cost of living crisis.

The increase in prices, on top of recent union strikes and train cancellations, could have a negative effect on the Welsh Government’s push for public transport – and in turn their goals for a more sustainable future.

In response to pushback against price increases amid an ongoing national crisis, Transport for Wales said:

“The announcement from the Welsh Government means regulated rail fares in Wales will rise in line with the rest of the UK by up to 5.9%, which is well below the RPI figure on which they are historically based. 
“Transport for Wales is a not-for-profit organisation and all revenue raised from rail fares is reinvested into operating and improving the public transport network in Wales and the Borders.
“We’re very mindful of the current cost-of-living crisis and the impact this could be having on our customers.  We’ve therefore already launched a number of great value ticket deals this year – a Multiflex sale offering 12 tickets for the price of 6, 40% off Advance fares on longer distance journeys, as well as 25% off our range of Local Railcards. 
“We’ll continue to monitor the cost-of-living crisis to keep our services as affordable as possible. We’re working hard on behalf of Welsh Government to make sustainable travel easy and accessible, and we remain focused on attracting more people to use public transport as we continue our transformation of the rail service across Wales & Borders.”   

Speaking about the increase, Welsh political party Plaid Cymru said it was one of the “highest on record” and would put more unnecessary pressure on “struggling households”.