Londoners slapped with 5.8% rise in Tube fares despite national rail ticket freeze

Under the projected increase, a Zone 1–2 peak Tube fare - such as between Highbury & Islington and Oxford Circus - would rise from £3.50 to £3.70.

Meanwhile, off-peak fares could increase from £2.90 to £3.10.

A Zone 1–6 peak journey, for example, from Uxbridge to Baker Street, could go from £5.80 to £6.15, and from £3.80 to £4.05 off-peak.

As fares rise in 5p or 10p increments, exact increases may fall slightly above or below the overall average.

Mayor of London Sadiq Khan said that the national rail freeze would not translate into a similar freeze for Transport for London services, meaning passengers using the Tube, Elizabeth line and London Overground will face higher costs.

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Travelcards, which combine national rail and TfL services, are also expected to go up by a similar amount.

Sir Sadiq told The Standard the above-inflation rise was required under the £2.2bn capital funding agreement TfL secured from Chancellor Rachel Reeves in June’s spending review.

The deal mandates annual increases of RPI+1 until the end of the decade - something he described as “not unreasonable” and “fair”.

TfL is also forecast to generate more than £1bn next year from road-user charges including the Ulez, congestion charge and tolls for the Silvertown and Blackwall tunnels.

TfL fares have broadly mirrored the annual rise in national rail fares, but Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander’s decision to freeze regulated rail fares, the first such freeze in 30 years, means London will diverge from this pattern.

When national rail fares rose by 4.6% in March, almost all TfL fares rose by the same amount, with buses the main exception.

Asked whether he could match the national freeze, Sir Sadiq said this was not possible.

“What Government didn’t announce was individual cities freezing their fares,” he said.

He added that the £2.2bn agreement was the “biggest ever multi-year deal we have received in more than a decade” and that ministers expected TfL to contribute by raising fares.

He continued: “They are not unreasonably saying, as grown-ups, we should also contribute. I think that is fair.”

Pressed on whether a London fares freeze was off the table, he replied: “No. The DfT were quite clear: the announcement from the Government was for a national rail fares freeze… It wasn’t for travelling within Manchester, travelling within Liverpool, or travel within London.”

Bus fares may not rise by the same percentage, as the Mayor has previously kept them lower than other TfL modes.

Travelcards are also expected to increase because they cover both rail and TfL fares. But with national rail fares frozen, City Hall is in talks with the DfT and Treasury to protect TfL’s share of Travelcard revenue.

Sir Sadiq said officials were working “constructively to make sure there isn’t any adverse consequences on London.”

In her spending review letter, Ms Alexander wrote: “The funding in this settlement is provided against an assumed scenario that overall TfL fares will rise by the value of RPI+1 for each year of this settlement.”

Money raised through fares and road charges will support upgrades across the capital, including new Piccadilly line and DLR trains due in 2026, plans to part-pedestrianise Oxford Street, and early work on extending the DLR to Thamesmead.

TfL uses the July RPI figure - 4.8% this year - to calculate fare changes. CPI inflation stood at 3.8% in October.

Regulated rail fares cover commuter tickets and season passes set by the Government. They exclude unregulated fares, such as first-class and advance tickets, which train operators set independently.