Despite the rather delightful news that was delivered to us last month in the form of a nationwiderail fare freeze (the first in 30 years, for that matter); the Mayor of London has just announced that the fare freeze in question will not apply to the London Underground network. In fact, fares across the London Underground will rise by a rather hefty 5.8% in 2026.
The price increase comes following a £2.2 billion funding deal that Transport for London secured from the government. A condition of the settlement was that TfL fares would rise by the value of RPI plus 1% every year until the end of the decade.
The London Underground fare increase
The Tube, the Elizabeth Line, the DLR and the London Overground are all set to be affected by the increase. All fares will rise by an average of 5.8% (which is above the rate of inflation). A single journey between Zone 1 and Zone 2, for example, will rise from £3.50 to £3.70 during peak hours and from £2.90 to £3.10 during off-peak hours.
Fares are only increased in 5p or 10p incrementsso the exact amount could be slightly more or less than the 5.8% average. Travelcards are also set to rise by a similar amount, but bus fares may not be affected by the increase.
The increased fares will come into effect in March 2026although no exact date has yet been announced. And the money raised from the fare increases is set to be reinvested by TfL back into London’s trusty transport network.
