A 20 per cent increase in off-peak fares is to hit the pockets of commuters using South West Trains.

The company has announced from May 20 it will be introducing a new off-peak' pricing band which will start after the morning peak but before a new super-off peak band'.

According to South West Trains (SWT), the operator of one of Britain's busiest commuter networks, the new off peak times will vary from station to station but would broadly affect trains arriving into London between 10am and 12pm.

The new pricing structure will not affect travel out of London Waterloo, only towards it and will not affect travel solely in the Greater London area.

However, commuters travelling off-peak into stations run by SWT, which include Clapham Junction, Wimbledon and Richmond, will be hit by the fares hike.

Customers travelling during super-off' peak periods will pay three per cent more of their journey under the new pricing structure.

SWT's commercial and marketing director, Bruce Akhurst, said: "This new ticket type will bring us into line with a number of other train companies that use a similar pricing structure and allow us to better match demand and pricing."

"People who decide to travel outside of the peak can still make really good savings by buying one of a range of off peak value tickets and megatrain.com deals and by using a Railcard discount.

"Our new franchise outlines a number of commitments we have made to improving the facilities and service we offer. These include £40 million in station refurbishments, improved and additional trains providing extra capacity and better security."

  • What do you think of the price rise? Have your say using our comment feature below.