Buckinghamshire MP warns high rail fares are threatening children's educations
A Buckinghamshire MP has warned that the rising costs of rail fares risk restricting access to education after a parent contacted her about a sharp rise in the cost of travelling to college.
Sarah Green, the Liberal Democrat MP for Chesham and Amersham, raised the issue in Parliament after being told that a student’s weekly rail costs had jumped from £27.80 to more than £40, despite the use of a railcard.
Ms Green said the parent was worried the increase could affect her daughter’s ability to attend college, particularly if she could no longer afford to travel at peak times.
Speaking in the House of Commons, the MP asked what steps the Department for Transport was taking to ensure rail fare rises did not restrict access to education.
She also urged ministers to support a Liberal Democrat amendment to the railways bill that would cap future fare increases at the rate of inflation.
Ms Green said: “A parent has been in touch with me about the rising cost of rail travel for her daughter. Despite holding a railcard, the cost of her weekly travel to college increased overnight from £27.80 to over £40.
“She is worried that this will affect her daughter’s ability to attend college, as she may no longer be able to travel at peak times. Can the minister outline what steps the Department is taking to ensure that increases in rail fares do not restrict access to education, and would he, for example, support the Liberal Democrat amendment to the Railways Bill, which would ensure that fare increases do not exceed inflation?”
Responding on behalf of the Government, the parliamentary under-secretary of state for transport, Keir Mather, said Ms Green was right to highlight the impact rail costs could have on young people.
He told MPs that the Government had taken action to prevent further pressure on passengers by freezing regulated rail fares.
“The honourable lady is right to point to the fact that our railways need to serve as a catalyst for young people to access the educational opportunities they need,” he said. I have already explained that we are freezing regulated rail fares for the first time in 30 years, which we hope will have a benefit for constituents across the area that she represents.
“Ultimately, the only way that we can get fares down in the long term is to have a railway with a single guiding mind and a single point of accountability, and that is through Great British Railways.”
It comes after regulated rail fares in England and Wales rose by 4.6% from March 2025, while the cost of most railcards also increased by £5.