War of words over ticket price rise

Glasgow MSP James Kelly described new season ticket prices for Rutherglen and Cambuslang commuters as “staggering”.

He claims passengers travelling from Newton to Glasgow Central will pay £76.50 a month while those coming from Cambuslang to the city will pay £63.80.

Mr Kelly described the rise in ticket prices as “the SNP’s great train fare robbery” and said: “Local commuters are rightly annoyed with the SNP government for increasing train fares yet again, while services here are either packed like sardine tins or at a complete standstill.

“Commuters are paying 12 per cent more for tickets than they did in 2012, yet wages have no where near matched this huge jump. As ticket costs go through the roof just in time for people going back to work, over the Christmas period local railway services were in chaos.

“It is time for a railway run by a Labour government.”

Rutherglen SNP MSP Clare Haughey said Labour had the chance to run Scotland’s railways but “failed do to anything of note”. She added: “Rail fare increases in Scotland have been restricted by the SNP Scottish Government. The slight rise is lower than the rate of inflation, and it is lower than the average increase across the UK.

“We are fully committed to delivering high-quality public transport across Scotland which is why a public sector bid for rail franchises is currently being prepared. This has only been possible thanks to the SNP securing a change in UK legislation which successive Labour and Tory governments had repeatedly refused to amend.”