A commuter rail operator has been accused of a stealth fare rise as it plans to put up prices this weekend without announcement.

Southeastern, which serves London, Kent and East Sussex, is to increase the price of some off-peak tickets by 3.4 per cent from Sunday.

Passenger groups said Southeastern was “sneaking through” the increases. The rail operator said it did not “routinely announce fare rises”.

Train operators generally raise fares at the beginning of every year, with an average increase of 2.3 per cent coming into force across Britain on Jan 2. Southeastern raised fares by an average of 1.8 per cent at that time.