The fare freeze is putting
money in your pocket. How much?
DfT froze regulated UK rail fares between March 2026 and March 2027 — the first freeze since 1995. The headlines quoted “average commuter saves £300” without telling you what that means for your fare on your route. This calculator does. Pick your ticket type, set the counterfactual increase you would have paid, and see your actual saving — plus what 5 years of frozen fares would save if it became permanent.
your ticket type
your ticket details
Price per year (£)
tickets / year
Counterfactual fare increase
The increase fares would have had if the freeze hadn't happened. Default is 6.0% — the typical RPI+1% formula applied at 2024-2025 inflation levels.
How the calculation works: the freeze fixed regulated fares at the March 2025 level until March 2027. Without the freeze, the standard formula would have pushed prices up. The annual saving = (counterfactual price − actual price) × your ticket count.
your annual saving · 2026-27
£330
the fare freeze keeps in your pocket this year
On £5,500 of actual fare spend, vs £5,830 under 6.0% increase
Per-year saving
£330.00
saved each time
Annual saving
£330
this year
5-yr compound
£5,364
if freeze permanent
fare breakdown
The Department for Transport froze regulated rail fares in England from March 2026 to March 2027 — the first freeze in 30 years. Regulated fares = season tickets and most off-peak returns on long-distance routes. Unregulated fares (Anytime, some Advance) can still change. Source: DfT fare regulation announcement, 2025.
the bigger picture
The freeze is technically a one-year decision. The compounded effect lasts forever.
Each year of formula-driven fare increase compounds the next year's baseline. Stopping the increase for one year doesn't just save the 6% — it permanently lowers the trajectory by 6%. From the freeze point forward, every subsequent year's formula increase is calculated on the frozen base, not the counterfactual.
6.0%
historic RPI+1% avg
What you would have paid
The standard formula has averaged around 6% over the last decade — RPI+1 percentage point on regulated fares.
0%
2026/27 freeze
What you're actually paying
Regulated fares held at March 2025 prices for the full 2026/27 fare year — the first freeze since 1995.
6%
permanent step-down
What the freeze locks in
Even if formula resumes in March 2027, every future year's baseline is now 6% lower than it would have been. The gap compounds.
Methodology
The calculator compares two scenarios:
- Actual: your ticket price at the March 2025 / March 2026 frozen level.
- Counterfactual: your ticket price multiplied by (1 + counterfactual_pct/100), where the default counterfactual is 6.0% (typical RPI+1% formula at 2024-2025 inflation).
Annual saving = (counterfactual price − actual price) × number of tickets per year. 5-year compound assumes the freeze stays in place for five years and the counterfactual compounds annually — each year's counterfactual fare = current_fare × (1 + counterfactual_pct)^year, summed across the 5-year window.
Railcard stacking applies a 30% discount on the actual ticket price (typical 1/3-off discount), less the £30 annual railcard cost. Most off-peak fares qualify; check operator rules for peak-time restrictions.
Source: DfT regulated fare freeze announcement (2025 Autumn Budget). Regulated fares = season tickets + most off-peak returns on long-distance routes + Anytime singles on commuter routes (~45% of UK rail fare revenue by value). Unregulated fares unaffected. The 5-year compound projection is illustrative — DfT has only committed to a 1-year freeze; subsequent fare years revert to formula-driven increases unless renewed.