A new report from the Times has shown how an annual season ticket from Edinburgh Waverley to Glasgow Queen Street could rise to an eye-watering £5000.
Anthony Smith, chief executive of Transport Focus, the independent watchdog for transport users, has called on the UK Government to postpone setting fares for 2023 due to the rising cost of living.
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Rail fare increases are based on the retail prices index (RPI) inflation figure from July - and with RPI inflation hitting 11.1 per cent in May it could rise even more by July reports the Times.
Mr Smith told the Times: “The government is not tied to the July figure and they’re not tied to when they make an announcement. It’s very much a political decision.”
The increases will not just apply to standard fares but also to season tickets - with the current cost of an annual season ticket between Glasgow and Edinburgh at £4430, an 11% increase would cause the cost to come in at £4922 for rail users.
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An annual season ticket between Tweedbank and Edinburgh would also increase from £3060 to £3400 by the same measure.
A rail industry source added: “It is absolutely a government decision whether they stick to pinning fares to inflation in July. If they do not have the strikes under control it will be a very damaging decision to say ‘we are using July inflation’ when there’s waves of disruption and a cost of living crisis.”
