Rail fares will more than double from tomorrow on some routes under new ticket restrictions being quietly introduced by train companies.

The periods in which discounted fares can be used are being cut to force passengers to buy much more expensive tickets. In some cases, companies that did not have any restrictions on cheaper fares on long-distance journeys are imposing them for the first time from tomorrow.

Passenger Focus, the government-funded rail passenger watchdog, called on ministers to “halt any further excessive rises” and impose limits on season ticket increases on individual routes. It said that the average increase of 6 per cent for season and saver tickets and 7 per cent for other types of fare masked far higher increases being imposed “by the back door” with complex restrictions.

Train companies are obliged to offer discounted saver fares, recently renamed “off-peak” fares, but they are exploiting loopholes that allow them to expand the definition of “peak”.

Passengers catching early morning Virgin West Coast trains between London Euston and Glasgow will have to pay £252 for a standard-class return, up from £102.90. Those travelling before 9am from London to Lancaster will pay £238, up from £69.30.

Under the old rules, passengers travelling from London to Glasgow with off-peak tickets could arrive just after 10.30am. Under the new restrictions, discounted fares will not be valid until after 9.05am, meaning that the earliest arrival time using a cheaper ticket will be just after 2pm.

East Midlands Trains is raising fares by up to 34.5 per cent by extending its restrictions. Existing off-peak tickets can be used on any service leaving London St Pancras between 9.01am and 4.59pm or after 7pm.

From tomorrow, the “peak” has been extended by more than 90 minutes. Off-peak tickets will be valid only between 10.26am and 3.15pm and again after 6.59pm. The restrictions in the London-bound direction have also been increased. Many passengers who previously paid £35.70 between London and Kettering will have to pay £48.

National Express East Anglia introduced restrictions in May and is adding to them tomorrow, with a ban on cheaper fares between Norwich and London for arrivals before 10am.

Anthony Smith, from Passenger Focus, said: “The perpetual tinkering with ticket restrictions ensures backdoor fare rises continue. Many long-distance passengers will be pushed into paying higher prices or locking themselves into rigid advance-purchase fares valid on only one train.”

Gerry Doherty, of the TSSA rail union, said: “By imposing new restrictions on off-peak travel, Virgin and other companies are forcing students, families and the elderly to pay the same as a businessman if they want to travel long distance at short notice. It is no good the companies saying that passengers can book cheaper advance tickets. Trying to find those is like looking for a needle in a haystack.”

Stephen Joseph, executive director of Campaign for Better Transport, said: “Rail is the low-carbon way to travel but passengers are being priced off with above-inflation fare increases. At a time of recession, these increases are making life difficult for hard-working families. The Government’s policy is to reduce its investment in the railways and make passengers pay more. Instead, it should invest more, regulate fares so they don’t rise above inflation and make it easy for people to reduce their carbon footprint.”

Michael Roberts, chief executive of the Association of Train Operating Companies, said that commuting by rail was “considerably less expensive than commuting by car – even allowing for falling petrol prices – and journey times are usually quicker too”.

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