Rail fares

That this House notes the recent rise in rail fares in England and Wales of 2.6 per cent; notes with concern that this rise means rail fares have risen above RPI inflation for the first time since 2013; condemns increasing the price of train travel at a time when millions of people are suffering financially; notes that since 2010 the price of a regional season ticket has risen by 38 per cent; believes that a better way to encourage passengers back to using the railway post lockdown would be by reducing prices rather than raising them; and calls on the Government to freeze the price of rail fares whilst offering discounts to entice customers back onto trains.