VerbatimParliament, as it happens

Railways: South East

Asked by Mr Tanmanjeet Singh DhesiLabourDepartment for TransportTabled Answered 17 February 2026UIN 112466

The question

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment she made of the affordability of train tickets for travel in the South East of England.

Answered by Keir Mather

The Government knows how important affordable and reliable public transport services are in enabling people to get to education, work, access vital services, and keep communities connected. We are freezing rail fares, from March, for the first time in 30 years, putting money back in passengers’ pockets and easing the cost of living for hard working people.

In the South East, our expansion of Pay As You Go with contactless ticketing has already simplified the complicated web of tickets to Peak and one Off-Peak price. This will allow passengers greater flexibility in their choice of tickets, with some seeing a reduction in their ticket price.

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