New analysis from Lewisham Labour shows that local rail passengers are set to benefit from a major cost-of-living boost following the first rail fares freeze in 30 years.
More than 44 million journeys either begin or end at stations in Lewisham each year. Around 45% of these journeys are on regulated fares and are therefore covered by Labour’s fares freeze. With the average journey costing £6.88, a rise in line with July’s inflation would have increased fares by 33p per trip. Across Lewisham stations, that would have amounted to fare rises of over £6.5 million — savings that passengers will now keep this year.
Commenting on the findings, Lewisham Labour said:
“Labour is determined to support Lewisham families with the cost of living. Inflation is falling, wages are rising — including a significant increase in the minimum wage — and now rail fares are frozen for the first time in a generation. This puts real money back into passengers’ pockets and helps support the local economy.
“2026 is the year Britain turns the corner under Labour — with more local breakfast clubs, more neighbourhood police, new rights for renters, falling NHS waiting lists, lower violent crime, and rising living standards.
“We all want to see change delivered as quickly as possible, and this year that change will become increasingly clear — in the weekly shop, monthly bills, pay packets that stretch further, and communities that feel safer, cleaner and more confident.”
