Fury as peak rail fares are reinstated in Scotland as SNP is accused of sabotaging trial scheme which scrapped the more expensive tickets
The SNP was today accused of sabotaging a scheme to axe peak rail fares in Scotland after they were reintroduced to the ire of commuters.
The SNP was today accused of sabotaging a scheme to axe peak rail fares in Scotland after they were reintroduced to the ire of commuters.
A trial that saw peak fares scrapped for nearly a year has now come to an end, causing the price of an anytime return ticket between Glasgow and Edinburgh rise from £16.20 to £31.40.
The average peak fare reduced by nearly 17 per cent during the pilot, but it cost £40 million over a year to subsidise.
Scottish Labour today insisted passenger numbers had soared during the scheme but many would now be forced to return to their cars.
A trial that saw peak fares scrapped for nearly a year has now come to an end, causing the price of an anytime return ticket between Glasgow and Edinburgh rise from £16.20 to £31.40
SNP leader John Swinney has been criticised over the scrapping of the trial scheme
Sarah Boyack, its Net Zero spokesperson, said This is another blow to the SNPs senseless decision to hike rail fares for working people.
This pilot was a rare success story from an SNP government typically mired in chaos and failure.
This scheme has been sabotaged by SNP incompetence at every turn, but peak-time passenger numbers have still soared.
Its clear eye-watering rail fares have forced people off of peak-time trains – and now thousands of Scots are at risk of once again being priced out of their daily commute, forced back into cars and stuck in traffic jams.
The SNP is already ditching its climate targets, and now it is rowing back on measures that would help us get back on track.
Scotland deserves affordable, reliable, green rail services – but the SNP appears to have given up on rail and abandoned climate leadership.
Train drivers union Aslef called on the Scottish Government to think again over its decision and called the reintroduction of peak fares a tax on workers.
The union added that it was a short-sighted decision that would damage local economies and make it harder to meet climate targets, and called on the government to reverse it in the next budget.
Aslef Scottish organiser Kevin Lindsay said: The flawed decision by First Minister John Swinney and transport minister Fiona Hyslop to restore peak fares will fleece passengers and is a huge mistake that must be rectified in the next Scottish budget.
Peak fares are no more than a tax on workers and removing them was a step in the right direction to make rail fares more affordable. It put more money in the pockets of rail passengers.
In Fiona Hyslops own constituency, the impact will be severe.
If a worker now has to get an on-peak return fare from Linlithgow to Glasgow five days a week for four weeks in a month, they will be £166 per month worse off.
That is a shocking indictment of the decision she has made and the level of these rises in fares will impact local economies all across Scotland as people see their disposable income reduced.
Train drivers union Aslef called on the Scottish Government to think again over its decision and called the reintroduction of peak fares a tax on workers
An analysis of the scheme by Transport Scotland estimated that passenger levels increased by up to 6.8 per cent during the pilot peak fare removal scheme, which was initially introduced in October 2023.
A Transport Scotland survey found 80 per cent of respondents said they were making more rail trips than previously, with around three quarters of them suggesting that the pilot scheme was the primary reason for this.
The analysis report said that a 6.8 per cent increase in passenger numbers represents four million extra rail journeys over nine months, of which two million would previously have been made by private car.
Scottish Greens transport spokesperson Mark Ruskell said: A lot of commuters will have an unpleasant surprise when they pay for their tickets this morning and see that prices are higher than ever.
Peak rail fares are fundamentally unfair. They disproportionately impact people who have no say over when they need to travel for work or study.
Bringing them back will do nothing to help workers or students or to encourage people out of their cars.
Many regular commuters have saved hundreds of pounds on their fares over the last year, and some of the rises they will now face are staggering.
The Scottish Government previously said that a 10 per cent increase in passenger numbers would have been required for the policy to be self-financing and claimed the pilot primarily benefited existing train passengers and those with medium to higher incomes.
It said that instead of extending the pilot it will offer 12 single journeys for the price of 10 on flexipasses and discounts on annual season tickets.
It also said it would be open to consider further subsidy to remove peak fares if budget allocations from the UK Government improve in future years.
A Transport Scotland spokeswoman said: The peak fares removal pilot was a welcome incentive over the last 12 months, saving many passengers hundreds and in some cases thousands of pounds during the cost-of-living crisis.
The Scottish Government would be open to consider future subsidy to remove peak fares should UK budget allocations improve in future years.
Ministers understand this will be disappointing for many rail users, particularly for those who cannot choose when they travel to and from work.
That is why a 12-month discount on all ScotRail season tickets has been introduced, available weekly, monthly and annually.
