THE GREAT TRAIN FARE ROBBERY
Labour Travellers spend fifth of pay
Commuters also have to pay up to six times more than other European rail users, according to research by Labour.
The party said the figures strengthened the case for nationalising the country’s Dutch-operated train service.
Season tickets for peak travelling between Edinburgh Waverley and Glasgow Queen Street or Central Station cost £379 a month – 20 per cent of the average monthly wage of £1929.
Travellers between Edinburgh and Glenrothes, a distance of 31 miles, face paying £256 a month – 13 per cent of their income.
By contrast, someone travelling between Étampes in France and Paris, a distance of 30 miles, would pay £ 66 – two per cent of their monthly wage of £2704.
In Italy, a monthly season ticket for the 27-mile journey between Civita Castellana and Rome is £ 65 – three per cent of the average monthly pay.
Scot t i sh Labour rura l economy and connectivity spokesman Colin Smyth said: “SNP ministers are presiding over a great train robbery – passengers are having their pockets picked in comparison to commuters on the continent.
“Ministers used to claim the deal they agreed with Abellio was world-leading – instead it is lagging behind other parts of Europe.
“Passengers are paying a fortune, often for delayed and overcrowded trains, and when their train isn’t cancelled, they can’t be even be guaranteed to stop at the stations they are supposed to. This strengthens Labour’s case to bring the railways back into public ownership.”
Abellio, a branch of Dutch state rail firm NS, took over the ScotRail franchise in April 2015.
They have been criticised for delayed services, overcrowding and trains skipping station stops.
In February, it emerged that Abellio had been fined a record £ 3million for poor service.
The company also had to apologise in February for cutting the number of carriages on some Glasgow- Edinburgh trains because of the delayed introduction of a new f leet of electric trains.
Concerns about dr ivers’ curved windscreens have led to the arrival of new trains being put back. Last month they were forced to cancel hundreds of trains in the wake of the Beast from the East weather chaos.
Transport Minister Humza Yousaf has threatened to bring the ScotRail franchise under public control.
His spokesman said: “Scotland has the lowest rail fares increase in the UK, with the average regulated increase below the rate of inflation.
“It was the SNP Government who secured the right for a public sector operator to bid for the franchise, after being repeatedly denied that right by successive L a b ou r a nd Tor y U K governments.”
ScotRail said: “Money from fares is reinvested to improve services, customer experience and track and signals as we continue to build the best railway Scotland has ever had.”