Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, for what reason she agreed to the recent increase in train fares.

The recent 4.6 per cent increase to the cap on regulated rail fares, announced in last autumn's budget, supports the Government's long-term plan to achieve financial sustainability of the railway and is the lowest absolute increase in three years. Any long-term changes or concessions made to rail fares policy require balancing against the potential impacts on passengers, taxpayers and the railway.