Commuters have been warned they will face a 3.5 percent increase in rail fares next year after official inflation figures used to calculate the rise were published yesterday.
Fares have rocketed by 25 per cent since 2010 which has been described as a "scandal" amid calls for nationalisation.
The latest predictions are based on the Retail Price Index inflation figure of 2.5 percent.
It is based on the assumption the Government will set the rise at 2.5 percent plus one percent - though it could set fares at 2.5 percent plus zero as it did last year.
Martin Abrams, public transport campaigner at Campaign for Better Transport, said: "By deliberately ramping up rail fares, the Government is hitting the living standards of everyone who relies on the train to get to work. There are the large numbers of rail commuters living in marginal constituencies. They will be looking to Government to bring a permanent end to this annual fiasco."
The rail fare increases, which will apply to peak time fares including season tickets, will take effect from January 2015.
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