Rail passengers could be fined £100 if caught without a ticket from Monday
Penalty fares on trains are set to increase fivefold from £20 to £100 from Monday.
The Department for Transport (DfT) has upped the cost for the first time since following a consultation process.
The Government believes the current charge no longer acts as a deterrent to offenders because it has lost its value in real terms.
The Rail Delivery Group estimates in a typical year around £240 million is lost through fare evasion on railways in the UK.
Rail company Southeastern – which has been run by Department for Transport-owned operator SE Trains since 2021 – urged passengers to ensure they pay for their ticket before they travel.
Commercial director Alicia Andrews said: ‘The vast majority of our customers do the right thing and pay for their journey before boarding, and we’re grateful to everyone who thinks ahead and pays for their journey before boarding.
‘We have a responsibility to reduce the costs of the railway and bear down on ticketless travel, and so with the fine increasing on 23 January it’s a great time to remind the people who don’t pay the right fare for their journey that they could end up paying a lot more if they are issued with a penalty fare.
‘We offer a choice of ways to buy before you travel: if a customer boards a train without a ticket at a station where the ticket office is open, or there is a working ticket machine; or if they haven’t got a digital ticket, among other reasons, then they may be liable for a penalty fare.
‘We hope this will encourage more people to be honest and buy the right ticket before they board.’
Until Monday, offenders have had to pay a penalty fare or twice the full single fare to the next station – whichever is greater.
The new penalty, which will apply across National Rail networks in England and Wales, will be issued on top of the price of a standard ticket for the passenger’s journey.
The fine will be reduced to £50 if it is paid within 21 days.
A DfT spokesperson said: ‘By acting as an effective deterrent, more revenue will be generated by the railway, which can be re-invested to improve the quality of passenger services.’
They added this would reduce the cost to taxpayers ‘who are currently footing the bill of those passengers travelling without a ticket’.
The move will also bring train travel fines in line with other services across the country. Failure to produce a ticket on Transport for London routes, like the Tube, costs £80 and the penalty on the Manchester Metrolink is £100.
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