The upcoming rise in off-peak rail fares in Scotland will be capped at 2.2%, thanks to the SNP Government’s pledge to cap rises at 1% below inflation, while all regulated fares in England and Wales will increase by 3.2%.
Following Wednesday’s announcement that the Retail Price Index (RPI) reached 3.2% in July, Scotrail’s peak fares will increase by 3.2% in January 2019 and off-peak fares will rise by 2.2%.
In Scotland, regulated peak fares increases are capped at the level of the Retail Price Index (RPI), a measure of inflation used to set the maximum annual increase for regulated rail fares, while regulated off-peak fares are capped at 1% lower than inflation.
Cabinet Secretary for Transport, Infrastructure and Connectivity Michael Matheson MSP said:
“In Scotland, average fares increases are lower than England and Wales where the UK Government applies an increase equivalent to RPI to all regulated fares. ScotRail's Price Promise Scheme also ensures passengers have access to information on best value fares and refunds are issued where a cheaper alternative can be found.”
Kenneth Gibson MSP added:
"Scotland’s rail network is now more popular than ever, with almost 97 million passenger journeys made in 2017, boosted by the £8,000 million that this SNP Government has invested in our rail services over the past decade. This investment has seen services increase 27% to 2,300 per day, with a further 200 to be added over the next 12 months and 160 extra carriages have been added to the Scotrail fleet, with an additional 200 to follow.
“While fare increases are never welcome, I am glad that Scotland’s new fares will compare favourable to those in England and Wales. Although passengers make a contribution towards the cost of running the railway through rail fares, in Scotland the majority of rail service costs are met by a subsidy from the SNP Government.”
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