The government has confirmed that regulated rail fares in England will be frozen until March 2027. The freeze, announced prior to the Budget, follows a 4.6% rise in March 2025.
Regulated fares include most season tickets on commuter routes, some off-peak long-distance tickets and flexible city-travel products. The freeze applies only to services run by England-based train operating companies.
Unregulated fares can still be set independently by operators, although historically they have tended to move broadly in line with regulated fare changes.
The government said the freeze is intended to help limit inflation and ease pressure on everyday travel costs.
For regular business travellers and employers with staff travelling by rail, the freeze may provide a degree of cost certainty between now and 2027. The government estimates that passengers on the most expensive routes could save more than £300.
The Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said that the announcement forms part of “wider plans to rebuild Great British Railways.”
See: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/first-rail-freeze-in-30-years-to-ease-the-cost-of-living
The troubled Shetland SaxaVord Spaceport project has been saved. The £30 million rescue package for the ex-RAF station in Unst was announced the day after a rapidly rolled-out new UK space strategy was presented by the government.
The Apprenticeship Levy has undergone its biggest overhaul since its introduction, with major changes taking effect from 1 August 2026. For Small to Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs), the most significant development is the expansion of what levy funds can be used for under the new Growth and Skills Levy. This expansion comes alongside tighter funding rules, making planning more important than ever.
