Scotland rail fares to rise by almost nine percent next year
ScotRail ticket prices will jump by 8.7% from April
Rail fares in Scotland will rise by 8.7% next year.
Transport minister Fiona Hyslop confirmed the increase in ScotRail fares will come into effect in April and from January 1 for the newly government-owned Caledonian Sleeper.
A Scottish Government pilot, which saw an end to peak rail fares and was initially due to last until the end of April, will now finish in June.
The freeze had previously been put in place in response to the cost-of-living crisis.
The decision comes just 24 hours after the Scottish Government announced an £80 million cut to rail funding.
Freeze "unsustainable"
Fiona Hyslop said: "The Scottish Government rightly made the decision to freeze flexi-pass and season ticket prices as part of its response to the cost-of-living crisis.
"While this has now remained in place for almost two years, it is simply no longer sustainable.
"We know that any increase is unwelcome for passengers, therefore we have kept the rise as low as possible to maintain the attractiveness and affordability of rail as a travel option.
"We continue to look at ways to encourage greater rail use and that is why we are extending our peak fares pilot for a further three months until June 2024.
"Fares and fare increases remain, on average, lower than across the rest of Great Britain.
"We are committed to investing in public transport and through this latest budget we will provide more than £2.5 billion to support it.
"This includes over £1.6 billion to operate, maintain and improve Scotland's railway, £430 million in funding for concessionary travel and bus services, and £434 million to operate and invest in our ferries."
Increases "body blow to passengers"
Scottish Tory transport spokesman Graham Simpson said the rises were "a body blow to passengers."
He added: "It does nothing to help hard-pressed Scots who are reeling from the SNP's catastrophic budget cuts.
"It will do nothing but deter people from travelling by train. It is the opposite of what we should be doing."
Train drivers' union Aslef said the increase was an "outrageous slap in the face" to Scottish people.