All ScotRail fares have risen by 3.8 per cent today, but opposition politicans are speaking of ‘dismayed’ passengers and a ‘spiral of decline’.

The increase is lower than the 4.6 per cent rises in England and Wales a month ago, but the Scottish increase covers all fares rather than just those which are regulated.

For commuters the rise will effectively be the second in just over six months, because a year-long pilot to suspend peak fares ended in September. It had attracted almost 7 per cent more passengers, but the government said that figure needed to have been 10 per cent in order to break even.

Transport secretary Fiona Hyslop said: ‘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 continuing our 20 per cent discounts on season tickets until September 2025 as planned and expanding the availability of flexipass.

‘ScotRail also continue to develop fares initiatives which can help attract more passengers, while offering savings and added value to existing rail users.’

Sue Webber, who is the Conservative transport spokeswoman, said: ‘Nicola Sturgeon promised a bright new future for Scotland's railways when nationalising it almost three years ago, but the exact opposite has happened.

‘Passengers will be dismayed they will have to fork out even more in the coming months for services that are frequently cancelled and delayed.’

For Labour, Claire Baker said the increase would ‘hammer’ passengers, and lead to a ‘spiral of decline’, while the Scottish Green Party's spokesman Mark Ruskell said rail travel needed to be ‘affordable and accessible’ to attract people out of their cars.

He continued: ‘When the Scottish Greens were in government we secured the removal of peak rail fares, only for the SNP to bring them back as soon as we were out of the room.

‘If we want safer and cleaner communities and less cars on our roads, then we need to cut the cost of public transport.’

Daniel O'Malley of the Scottish Liberal Democrats said: ‘Scotland needs a cheap, reliable and frequent rail service – it's a win-win for passengers and the planet.’ He also called for more lines to be reopened.

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