Rail fares Q&A: Why are they going up again?

Rail fares rise by an average amount, meaning that some may have bigger increases than others

Rail tickets are about to go up again - by an average of 4.1% from January 2014.

That's 1% above inflation - and will apply to all regulated fares, including season tickets.

The actual pounds and pence price hikes won't be revealed for a while yet, but why the seemingly inexorable rise?

Why do some fares go up by more than the average that is regulated by the government?

Why are fares going up regardless of the service you're getting?

If our fares are so high, why are record numbers of people using the trains?

Why do they use RPI and not CPI as a measure of inflation?

Is it the same across the UK?

What would Labour do?

Will it ever end?