Passengers travelling on rail routes from Hatfield, Potters Bar and Welwyn Garden City stations can brace themselves for a possible hike in rail fares in line with inflation by 2018.

Welwyn Hatfield Times: Welwyn Garden City train stationWelwyn Garden City train station (Image: Archant)

The Retail Price Index inflation figure of 3.6 per cent, released yesterday (Tuesday, August 15) is the basis for the maximum fare increase that can be imposed by Great Northern rail operator Govia.

This means that from January 2018, a standard adult return journey from Welwyn Garden City to London Kings Cross during peak hours could increase by 62p from £17.10 to £17.72, and an off-peak standard adult return from Hatfield to Peterborough could rise from £18.70 to £19.37.

According to a Govia spokesperson, the rail operator rounded the new fares down to the nearest 10p in 2017.

The RMT rail union warned in a press statement on August 13 that rail fares have risen almost twice as fast as average national wages since 2010.