Rail company recovers £1m in unpaid fares

More than £1m was recovered from fare-dodgers by a rail operator in 2024.

Chiltern Railways said it had reported 8,064 passengers for investigation for non-payment throughout the year.

Between £12,000 and £15,000 was recovered from three individuals who had systematically avoided paying the correct rail fare over a substantial period of time, the firm said.

Chiltern's routes cover the West Midlands, Warwickshire, Worcestershire, and routes to London through Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire and Hertfordshire.

Operations director Tony Baxter said a "lot of money is lost" by the company through fare evasion every year.

On top of the recovery process, 2,156 penalty fares were also issued by the company throughout 2024, with 149 going to prosecution.

A total of £114,330 was recovered, taking the total of lost revenue recovered by Chiltern Railways in 2024 to £1,165,617.

Mr Baxter said: "The vast majority of our customers pay for their tickets before they travel but unfortunately there is still a lot of money lost on the railway through fare evasion every year.

"We are determined to ensure fairness for the paying customer and there is no excuse for fare evasion as it has never been simpler to purchase a ticket."

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