Train operator Northern has issued a warning to its customers that from today, Monday, 23rd January, the government has increased the cost of penalty fares to £100.
Anyone caught travelling without a valid ticket or a ‘promise to pay’ notice on any of the 2,500 services that Northern runs each day will be issued a £100 penalty fare. If that is paid within 21 days, the penalty will be reduced to £50.
The previous cost of a penalty fare was £20, which was set in 2005. However, the railway industry considered that figure was too low and no longer an effective deterrent to fare evaders.
Before raising the penalty fare cost, the government held a public consultation, and 69% of those who responded agreed that the £20 penalty fare was too low. It is estimated by the Rail Delivery Group that fare evasion on Great Britain’s railways costs the industry around £240 million in lost revenue each year.
The £100 penalty fare forms part of The Railways (Penalty Fares) (Amendment) Regulations 2022, and is in line with penalty fares charged across much of Western Europe, Transport for London (TfL), and Manchester‘s Metrolink tram network.
Last December, Northern introduced a new timetable which may affect anyone who is used to making regular journeys at the same train times. They are therefore advised to consult Northern’s ‘Check My Timetable‘ feature on its website to check for any changes at their local station.
Mark Powles, commercial and customer director at Northern, said:
“The overwhelming majority of our customers – upwards of 95% – do the right thing and buy a ticket before they board one of our services.
“However, fare dodgers will find themselves having to dig deep if they continue to try and travel without buying a ticket. The £100 penalty fare is a government initiative that Northern and other train operators in England will begin to enforce from today.
“With more ways than ever before to buy a ticket – be it online, through an app, at a self-service machine or ticket office – there really is no excuse. It is, however, totally avoidable for everyone who travels responsibly on our network.”
Responses
As an ex railway man working in a booking office, passengers are easily confused with platform ticket machines, and also some staff. What happens if you can’t find the correct type of ticket for your journey. Also passengers should be made to buy from the ticket office when open. A lady recently bought a ticket from a machine on the Buxton line and found the train was cancelled. She went to the booking office for a refund, and was annoyed when she couldn’t get a refund instantly!! Says it all!
HMM, I travel a lot, and the ticketing can be very confusing, last week I travelled from Manchester to Blackburn for £4, a bargain, and unusual. However, on that service, a traveller was clearly trying it on with a ticket he bought last year. The guard clearly wanted to charge him a penalty, but his threatening manner prevented her from enforcing the fine. Better systems and fairer ticketing are needed if this is going to work.