Rail fares rise as critics take aim at performance

THOUSANDS of commuters face price hikes today after rail firms increased ticket prices.

ScotRail put up the cost of peak tickets by 1 per cent, but froze off-peak fares, while Virgin West Coast raised the cost by 2.2 per cent – double the UK average.

There was better news for Virgin East Coast passengers, with the price of tickets falling by 0.3 per cent on average.

The rises are less than in previous years, but critics said the quality of services does not warrant any increase.

Anthony Smith, chief executive of independent watchdog Transport Focus, said: ‘In some parts of the country, given rail performance has been so dire, passengers will be amazed there are any fare rises.’

Bruce Williamson of campaign group Railfuture said fares were ‘increasingly divorced from reality’ because the UK Government used the ‘discredited’ Retail Price Index rather than the more accurate Consumer Price Index to calculate increases to regulated fares.

ScotRail’s increase will see the cost of a peak-time monthly pass between Edinburgh Waverley and Glasgow Queen Street rise from £356.40 to £359.90.

A ScotRail spokesman said: ‘We have frozen off-peak fares for the third year in a row.’

A Virgin Trains spokesman said it had increased the number of cheap fares available, adding: ‘For example, passengers can travel from London to Glasgow for just £30.’