Liverpool Metro Mayor announces Merseyrail fares freeze as ticket prices rise across the country

Rail fares across the Merseyrail network are to be frozen, despite an increase in ticket prices across the country.

The Mayor of the Liverpool City Region, Steve Rotheram said the move is "yet another demonstration of how we are doing things differently" and will protect local commuters when national fares increase next month.

Rail fares across the country are set to rise by 4.9% on March 3 - including services from Liverpool operated by Avanti, Northern, TransPennine Express and Transport for Wales - but services across the Merseyrail network will now be safeguarded from similar increases.

Utilising funding "clawed back" from Stadler, the region’s new train manufacturer, Mayor Rotheram is proposing to freeze fares for an initial six-month period*.

Last year, the first battery-powered passenger train in the UK left the new £80million Headbolt Lane station in Kirkby to make its maiden journey on the Merseyrail network, as part of Steve Rotheram’s plan to deliver a London-style transport network to Merseyside.

However, the new fleet has faced repeated problems, particularly on the Kirkby line, with Mayor Rotheram previously describing the roll-out as 'frustratingly poor' and refunds being offered to commuters. So, the fare freeze will be welcome news for Merseyrail passengers.

Announcing the freeze, Steve Rotheram said: “In the Liverpool City Region we are known for being rail pioneers with the very first rail passenger services running between Liverpool and Manchester. Our new half a billion pound trains are the country’s first publicly-owned fleet in a generation. We are putting the public back into public transport.

"As the rollout of the new trains nears completion, this is yet another demonstration of how we are doing things differently. Our trailblazing work is ongoing to explore the potential of taking back control of the physical infrastructure too, including all of the stations in our area.

“Given the current economic circumstances as people continue to struggle with the cost of living crisis, we are trying to do everything in our power to make life easier for the travelling public, be it our £2 bus fare cap, or this announcement on freezing rail fares. While passengers across the country face another rise in in March, I’m ensuring that commuters in our region are shielded from it."

*The six-month fares freeze will apply from March 3 too rail fares for journeys on Merseyrail’s Wirral and Northern Lines network. Any passengers buying single or return tickets, day savers or RailPass tickets on services operated by Merseyrail will see fares frozen at the current price until September 2024.