Rail passengers in England and Wales have been hit by above inflation fare rises despite the collapse in demand.

Ticket prices have increased by around 2.6%, leading to accusations that the UK Government is “pricing the railways out of existence”.

The figure represents the Retail Prices Index measure of inflation from July 2020, plus one percentage point.

The Scottish Government has imposed smaller rises of 1.6% and 0.6% for peak and off-peak travel respectively.

Here is the average season ticket price for commuters travelling in and out of major stations in north Essex, and the estimated increase from last year.

Colchester

One year season ticket:

To London Liverpool Street - £5,552 (increase of £140)

One month:

To London Liverpool Street - £533.00 (increase of £14)

One week

To London Liverpool Street - £138.80 (increase of £3)

Manningtree

One year season ticket:

To London Liverpool Street - £6,208 (increase of £157)

One month:

To London Liverpool Street - £596 (increase of £15)

One week:

To London Liverpool Street - £155.20 (increase of £4)

Clacton

One year season ticket:

To London Liverpool Street - £6,120 (increase of £155)

One month:

To London Liverpool Street - £587.60 (increase of £15)

One week:

To London Liverpool Street - £153 (increase of £4)

Demand for rail travel has plummeted during the coronavirus pandemic, with passenger numbers currently down 85 per cent on normal levels.

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Network Rail boss Sir Peter Hendy said last week that the volume of journeys by commuters may only recover to 60 per cent of what it was before the outbreak.

The UK, Scottish and Welsh Governments took over rail franchise agreements from train operators in March 2020, following the collapse in demand for travel caused by the virus crisis.

This is expected to cost the Westminster Government alone around £10 billion by mid-2021.

Fares usually become more expensive on the first working day of every year, but the 2021 rise was deferred due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Bruce Williamson, of pressure group Railfuture, described the increase as “the usual annual punishment for rail passengers, just slightly delayed”.

He claimed the UK Government “should be encouraging the public to start using trains again” when lockdown restrictions ease.

“But instead they’re gradually pricing the railways out of existence,” he said. “It just doesn’t make sense to kick the rail industry when it’s down.”

A DfT spokeswoman noted that this is the lowest rise in four years “despite unprecedented taxpayer support for the rail industry”.

She went on: “By delaying the change in fares, passengers who needed to renew season tickets were able to get a better deal, and we will set our further plans to offer cheaper, more flexible tickets for commuters in due course.”