Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate his Department has made of the potential annual percentage increase of rail fares in the next five years.

The Government has committed to capping regulated rail fares at RPI+0% for the term of this Parliament from 2016 to 2020. This extends the cap on rail fare increases put in place for 2014 and 2015. Regulated Fare increases are based on the July Retail Price Index (RPI) figures that are released in August each year.

The Department for Transport does not estimate future RPI figures, however I am aware that the Office of Budget Responsibility has released forecasts for RPI for the next five years.