Peterborough to London return rises to £75.50 after rail fares hike

Advanced single fares between the two cities has risen from £11.50 to £12, while the standard anytime return has increased to £75,50, according to the operators of the rail line.

An annual standard class season ticket using the fastest trains is now £7,752, or £8,412 if you include a London Travelcard.

A spokesperson for Virgin Trains on the East Coast route could not say how much the season ticket had risen by, but a commuter told the Peterborough Telegraph that his season ticket last year cost £7,484, approximately 3.6 per cent less than the new figure.

The East Coast route is run by Virgin Trains, with fares rising on average by 3.4 per cent from Tuesday. The route has hit the headlines in recent days after it was revealed that Virgin was ending its contract to operate the line three years early, in 2020, after running into financial difficulties.

The Virgin spokesperson said: “As a result of fare changes we have made, nearly 80 per cent of our most flexible standard anytime tickets will still be cheaper than when we took over the East Coast route in 2015. We’ve also made thousands of cheaper advance fares available, enabling customers to travel the 400 miles between Edinburgh and London for as little as £25.”

Stephen Joseph, chief executive of the Campaign for Better Transport, accused the Government of snubbing rail passengers by continuing to increase fares while fuel duty is frozen for a seventh consecutive year. Paul Plummer, chief executive of the Rail Delivery Group which represents train operators, said the fares increase was necessary to improve the network.