In the United Kingdom, an average 2.8 per cent increase in rail fares comes into effect from today pushing the cost of some commuter travel to more than 5,000 pounds a year. The pan-industry Rail Delivery Group said, the increase is the smallest rise in four years. Chancellor George Osborne said in last month's Autumn Statement he would keep fares in line with July's Retail Price Index inflation rate of 3.1 per cent. But campaigners say that fares are rising three times faster than incomes.At the moment, the government pays around 32 per cent of the total railways bill. It's widely believed that Ministers want to cut that to 25 per cent. Add to that the billions of pounds being invested in electrifying lines, building new stations and so on, and it's a fair bet that prices will be going up for some years yet.Some regulated tickets, including season tickets, anytime and off-peak tickets, have risen on average by 3.1 per cent.