Will Forster MP calls for rail fare freeze as fares are set to increase by over £300!

Will Forster MP, Chair of the Southwestern Railway APPG, has slammed rail fare increases, set to come through next year. 

This means commuters between Woking and London face an eye-watering increase of £313.55 per year, making the overall cost £5,719.55.

New figures released today (20 August 2025) indicate that regulated rail fares are set to rise to heights of 6% in 2026-27 should the government choose to follow existing policy and increase fares in line with July’s Retail Price Index. 

Will Forster, MP for Woking, is calling for these rail fares to be frozen.

Will recently sent a letter to Sir Andrew Haines of Network Rail about the repeated signalling failures causing extensive delays, ongoing overcrowding at peak times, and frequent service disruption on Southwestern Railway (SWR) services.  

Will is chair of the Southwestern Railway APPG and has repeated his call for a rail fare freeze, on behalf of every MP and their constituents on the route. SWR covers over 60 constituencies in the UK.

The experience of travelling on SWR has become increasingly stressful, uncomfortable, and unreliable. Passengers rightly expect better. Now with these rail fare increases, people are getting an even worse deal.

Commenting on the rail fare rise, Will Forster, Liberal Democrat MP for Woking said: 

“At a time of endless cancellations and a cost of living crisis, it is appalling that commuters are being asked to pay more and get less.

“What was chaos under the Conservatives has become out of touch complacency under Labour. We’re still being ripped off, but now with a different government.

“The Liberal Democrats are calling for a freeze on fares and a service people can actually rely on. Hiking prices now is a false economy that will only drive passengers away.

“I’ll be raising this directly with South Western Railway as Chair of the SWR APPG, so we can both put pressure on Labour over this ridiculous move in the cost of living crisis.”

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