The average cost of season tickets for rail commuters is set to rise by 2.7% in January - slightly less than predicted earlier this year.

It means some travellers in Kent paying close to £200 more a year.

A spokesman from the Rail Delivery Group, which represents train operators, said the increase, which will come into force on January 2, was necessary to maintain the railway services.

The organisation said 98p of every £1 paid in fares goes back into the running it.

The cost of rail travel in east Kent will be up by more than £170 for annual travelcard users and more than £200 for high speed services.

In west Kent, season ticket holder fares will increase by more than £130, and £160 for the high speed.

Season ticket prices are regulated by the government, with annual changes based on the July Retail Prices Index (RPI) inflation measure.

At the start of this year, season ticket prices rose by 3.2% - news that was met with dismay from many long-suffering commuters, but was below the 3.5% increase that had been predicted.

Anthony Smith, chief executive of the independent watchdog Transport Focus, said:

“We speak to thousands of passengers each year and we know that less than half feel they get value for money. After a year of patchy performance passengers just want a consistent day-to-day service they can rely on and a better chance of getting a seat.

The group said passengers should claim compensation every time they are delayed to offset the rise.

It has also called for a simpler, flexible system.

The National Rail Passenger Survey shows less than half of passengers (47 per cent) were satisfied that their ticket offered value for money.

That figure dropped to 30 per cent among commuters.

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