Statement on latest RPI announcement

A Scottish Government spokesperson said:

“We are committed to ensuring that rail fares are affordable for passengers and taxpayers across Scotland. We have capped increases where we have influence, making fares 20% cheaper on average than in the rest of Great Britain.

“While any fare increase is unwelcome, calls for measures such fares cuts or a fares freeze underestimate the impact of these on the public purse. Two-thirds of the cost of running the railway is already met through Scottish Government subsidy, with the remainder through rail passenger revenues. Any change to rail fares could therefore have a significant impact on the taxpayer.

“The ongoing UK-wide Williams review offers an opportunity to reform the broken rail franchise system. Rather than implement any measures prematurely, we await the UK Government’s white paper in the autumn before making fundamental change. This includes fares policy as we would need to understand how it would work within the context of any change to franchising.”