London Mayor Sadiq Khan has confirmed that fares on the London Underground, Overground, and Elizabeth line will increase by 5.8% next year.
The fare hike, which is 1% above the rate of inflation, is scheduled to take effect in March.
The national rail fare freeze announced last month will not extend to Transport for London (TfL) services.
Khan has stated his intention to freeze Travelcard prices until March 2027, ensuring that weekly and daily fare caps remain unchanged. Fares for London buses and trams will also not increase.
The Mayor explained that the fare increase, equivalent to one percentage point above the Retail Prices Index (RPI) rate of inflation, was a condition stipulated in the £2.2 billion capital funding agreement between TfL and the central government during the spending review in June.
He characterized the freeze on bus and tram fares until July 2026 as “an emergency cost-of-living measure” funded by City Hall.
Khan emphasized, “This is the seventh time I’ve been able to freeze bus and tram fares, and it will particularly benefit those on the lowest incomes in our city.”
“The plans would mean that only fares on Tube and TfL rail services would now increase from March 2026.”
“I also plan to ensure that increases to pay-as-you-go fares on the Tube will be capped at 20p, with many only rising by just 10p.”
City Hall Conservatives have voiced criticism of the announcement.
In a statement, they asserted, “Whilst the rest of the country enjoys a fare freeze, Sadiq Khan has burdened Londoners with cost increases that are disproportionately going to affect the young professionals that are the backbone of our city’s economy, as well the other millions of passengers who use these services.”
The Liberal Democrats stated that the Mayor had “failed to make this case to his ‘mates’ in government like he promised he would, he’s now expecting working Londoners to stump up the costs instead”.
The fare increases will apply to all TfL-operated rail services, including the Docklands Light Railway.
The Mayor indicated that, as a result of the increase, an off-peak pay-as-you-go Tube fare from Tottenham Court Road in Zone 1 to Edgware in Zone 5 would rise from £3.60 to £3.80.
Pay-as-you-go fares on Tube and TfL rail services within Zone 1 only will rise from £2.90 to £3.10 during peak hours, and from £2.80 to £3.00 during off-peak hours and weekends.
A peak-time journey from Upminster in Zone 6 to Cannon Street in Zone 1 will increase from £5.80 to £5.90.
The government capital funding deal is intended to facilitate the replacement of aging fleets, upgrades to signaling technology, and improvements to bus services.
The fare increases are subject to a final decision by the Mayor.
London TravelWatch, the statutory transport watchdog for London, noted that the city already has some of the most expensive public transport fares in Europe.
The organization stated that delays in the delivery of new Tube and DLR trains, coupled with worsening bus speeds across the capital, “will make the overall package feel like a hard sell to many passengers.”
It added: “Coming on top of last summer’s price rise for concessionary cards and next month’s hike in the congestion charge, Transport for London will need to run ever faster to show it is delivering value for money to the travelling public.”
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