Passengers travelling on trains without tickets will face higher penalties from next week.
The new penalty fare will increase to a minimum of £100 – reduced to £50 if paid within 21 days – plus the price of a full single fare from Monday (23rd January).
It will replace the current fines of either £20 or twice the full single fare to the next station.
Annamarie Izzard, head of revenue protection at London Northwestern Railway and West Midlands Railway, said:
“Every year around £240million of revenue nationally is lost to the railway through fare evasion, taking money away from vital improvements to the network and ultimately costing the taxpayer.
“The vast majority of our passengers already do the right thing and buy their ticket before travelling but I hope these changes will encourage more people to think twice about ticketless travel.”
Annamarie Izzard
The national penalty fare will apply if passengers:
- Travel without a valid ticket.
- Can’t show an appropriate railcard for a discounted ticket.
- Travel in first class with a standard class ticket.
- Travel on a child ticket but are aged over 16.
- Travel beyond the destination on their ticket.
