Commuters from Ipswich railway station are set to face a hike in the price of season tickets in the new year — here's how much passengers could be paying.

The Department for Transport has announced ticket price increases will be capped at 3.8% from March 1, in line with July’s Retail Prices Index (RPI) measure of inflation.

It is set to be the steepest increase since January 2013, according to figures from industry body the Rail Delivery Group (RDG).

The hike means 12-month season tickets to London Liverpool Street from Ipswich will rise by £270 a year, while tickets to Norwich will cost commuters an extra £141.

Passengers to Cambridge can expect to pay £144 more, with tickets to Chelmsford up by £139.

Last year, annual season ticket prices from Ipswich to London rose by an inflation-busting £180 as overall prices rose by 2.6%.

Increases are normally implemented on the first working day of every year, but have been delayed to March in 2022 due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Rail minister Chris Heaton-Harris described the 3.8% rise as a "fair balance" which means the Government can "continue to invest record amounts into a more modern, reliable railway, ease the burden on taxpayers and protect passengers from the highest RPI in years".

He added that delaying the changes until March enables people to save money by giving them longer to renew their tickets at current prices.

But Andy Bagnall, director-general of the RDG, said the rail industry knows it "must not take more than its fair share from the taxpayer".

He said: "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."

Rail union the Transport Salaried Staffs’ Association accused the government of being "hell-bent on discouraging rail travel", claiming the fares increase will "put yet more people off and price many out of rail travel completely".

Demand for rail travel is more than 40% below pre-Covid levels.