HUGE hikes in rail fares for Dumfries passengers have been raised in the Scottish Parliament.
South Scotland MSP Colin Smyth used a Holyrood debate to highlight the “illogical, irrational and discriminatory” way in which ScotRail fixes its prices.
It comes after the reintroduction of peak time fares and subsequent massive price jumps for some rail users locally.
Mr Smyth said: “What angers many of my constituents in Dumfries and Galloway is the fact that they will face the biggest hikes in fares in Scotland because of the Government’s failure to change the illogical, irrational and discriminatory way in which ScotRail fixes its prices.
“From 27 September, commuters travelling between Dumfries and Carlisle will see their day return rail fare rise from £7.60 to £23.50, which is an increase of 211 per cent. How do we explain that a day return on the same line from Kilmarnock to Glasgow will increase from £8.80 to £13.90—which is bad enough at 58 per cent—but that a return journey that is of a similar distance from Dumfries to Carlisle will increase by four times that to almost twice the price of the Kilmarnock to Glasgow return ticket?
“What conceivable reason is there for the fact that a 40-mile journey on the Borders railway from Tweedbank to Edinburgh will increase from a £14.50 return fare to £21.70—which is an eye-watering 49 per cent—but the cost of the shorter 30-mile journey from Dumfries to Carlisle will soon be more expensive, at £23.50? It will be more expensive for a journey that is 25 per cent shorter.”
He added: “On the same Nith Valley line, passengers travelling from Dumfries to Glasgow will see an 80 per cent hike in their day return fare.”
Earlier this month he asked Transport Secretary Fiona Hyslop to explain why commuters locally were facing the largest hike in fares, saying: “Nowhere else in Scotland do people face such big differences between peak and off-peak fares as will be experienced by those who travel from Dumfries station.
“Why are people in my area being discriminated against as a result of the utterly illogical way in which ScotRail fares are set?”
She responded: “I am happy to ask ScotRail to provide an explanation directly to Colin Smyth.
“However, he makes a very important point about anomalies between fares and fare miles.
“I am due to receive a report on that next year. That does not address the point that Colin Smyth makes as of now, but I will specifically take it up with ScotRail.”
