The neon words of the announcement board at Maidstone East station flickered periodically as commuters came and went, with many heading to the ticket machines.

Nothing unusual in that, but with rail fares set to take on a 3.8% price hike in March, the steepest increase since January 2013, one must wonder, just how will people afford it? Our reporter Temi Adedeji went to find out.

The increase set on regulated fares, namely season tickets, anytime day, off peak and super off peak tickets, will be part of the government's way to ease the financial burden on the industry.

Coupled with the rise in living costs, such as soaring inflation, council tax rises and increased National Insurance contributions, it means that on average people will be strapped for cash.

This is a worrying situation for commuters such as Jessica Ellis, 18, who is a student. She said: “I don’t really know why it would go up it's already expensive as it is.

"I have to work an extra job just so I can manage to afford the train.

"The buses are just as expensive and they take longer and I can't drive so this is my only option.”

Jessica, who travels three to four times a week between Maidstone East and Canterbury, spends £12 to £13 a day on travel with a railcard.

She explained that if she didn't have one, travel would cost up to £20 a day.

Commuters such as Domika, a 28-year-old dental nurse, fear the potential social impact of rising fares.

“I remember I had to pay a fine a few years ago when I was 18, it cost me nearly two grand because I just ignored it.

"They are quite hard on people who maybe don’t have a lot of money and they just bunk the train because they can’t afford it and now it's going to go up again.”

Previously, rail fare increases were traditionally implemented on the first working day of each year.

However, due to the economic effects of Covid-19, increases were delayed until March to give people more time to save money.

Now, people across Kent who regularly use the train are facing triple-digit rises in fares.

For example, a season ticket from Gravesend to London will increase from £3,768 to £3,911 – up £143.

Meanwhile, someone travelling from Dover to London via the high-speed route will pay £7,391 for an annual ticket, up £271 from £7,120.

The government has been faced with the dilemma of getting people back onto the trains while also managing the financial impact the pandemic has had on the industry.

With £14 billion of taxpayers' money spent to keep services running during the pandemic, the rise has been implemented to balance some of these costs and pay for service improvements.

However, critics such as Paul Tuohy, chief executive of Campaign for Better Transport, believe the government should be doing more to encourage a more sustainable and affordable service.

He said: "Considering the urgent need to act on climate change, the government should be doing more to encourage people to use green modes of transport.

"It should have frozen rail fares for 2022, just as fuel duty for car drivers has long been frozen. Instead, some commuters will be asked to pay hundreds of pounds more for their season tickets."

Commuters appeared to share a similar sentiment of discontent, but some said they had no other choice than to accept it.

Sydney, 25, a part-time Post Office worker who travels between Maidstone East and West Malling, gets a daily £5.60 return ticket.

He said: “No one can afford it any more. It’s a bit of a joke. What can you do about it? Nothing really.”

Sinthuja, a 29-year-old medical assistant who commutes bi-weekly to a GP surgery in London, explained her frustration. She said: “Every two weeks it will cost me about £38.

"No one's going to be happy about it as we rely on trains as an emergency commute to places as far as London.

"Sometimes you can’t take the car because the weather is bad or another family member has to take the car and, if the prices rise, how can we rely on public commute.”

Andy Bagnall, director general of industry body the Rail Delivery Group, said: "The government's decision to hold fares down in line with July's inflation is welcome compared to last year's above-inflation increase and the rate of inflation right now.

"It is important that fares are set at a level that will encourage more people to travel by train in the future, helping to support a clean and fair recovery from the pandemic.

"We know the railway must not take more than its fair share from the taxpayer, which is why the rail industry is working to create a financially sustainable and more passenger-focused service that will both keep costs down long-term and attract people back to the train."