Fresh rail fares blow for commuters Rail fares on some routes will be able to rise at twice the rate of inflation despite an overhaul of the system to be announced on Wednesday. Ministers will seek to reassure commuters that they have not been forgotten amid a renewed focus on the "cost of living." But the maximum increase in any individual fare will be capped at 6 per cent this year, far higher than the current rate of inflation of 3 per cent. Stephen Joseph, head of the Campaign for Better Transport, criticised the "bitter news" that fares would continue to rise faster than inflation. Motorists have by contrast enjoyed a freeze in petrol duty which has been pledged until 2015. The rail announcement will come as part of a fares and ticketing review by Patrick McLoughlin, transport secretary. Mr McLoughlin will unveil a pilot to end the anomaly where single and return tickets are often priced at roughly the same level. There will be a separate trial of more flexible season tickets to benefit part-time workers who may only travel for a couple of days a week. Yet commuters may be disappointed to find that neither of those pilots will begin until early 2015 - effectively postponing any decision until after the general election. The news comes against a backdrop of all political parties seeking to put forward measures to help households at a time of falling living standards. The change to rail fares will alter the "flex" under which train operators can add up to 5 per cent to some fares as long as each company's average rise is maintained at RPI inflation plus 1 per cent. That flex will be cut to 2 per cent, reducing the maximum increase in an individual fare from 9 per cent to 6 per cent at the current rate of RPI.