RAIL passengers travelling to and from Edinburgh are facing fare hikes of as much as 12 per cent in the new year.
All of Britain's train operating companies have announced new ticket prices, which come into effect on January 2.
Passengers travelling long distances from the Capital to destinations such as London and Aberdeen are facing the biggest price rises
. The cost of a normal day return on the flagship Edinburgh-to-Glasgow route will increase by 70p.
But the cheapest ticket to London with GNER will rise from £22.30 to £25 - up 12 per cent - when it is booked online. Saver return tickets will generally increase by just over four per cent across Britain's rail network. Passenger watchdogs have criticised the fare increases, which come only six months after First ScotRail put up some rush-hour tickets by ten per cent.
Robert Samson, from Passenger Focus, said: "We are concerned about the impact on long-distance travellers.
"For passengers on trains from Edinburgh to Aberdeen, this equates to a 15 per cent rise in the last few months, which people will find hard to take.
"However, for shorter journeys in the rest of Scotland, the fare rises are as expected."
Regulated fares, which mainly include saver and season tickets, are to increase by 4.3 per cent on First ScotRail, GNER and Virgin Cross Country, with the exception of services within Strathclyde, where there will be no increase.
That means a saver return ticket between London and Edinburgh rises from £94.10 to £98.20.
Unregulated fares set by the train operating companies will rise by an average of 4.3 per cent on First ScotRail and Virgin Cross Country trains.
On GNER services they will rise 5.5 per cent. On the few Virgin West Coast trains that serve Edinburgh, the hike will be 6.6 per cent.
The new fares mean a return ticket on Edinburgh's CrossRail network from Waverley to Newcraighall will increase by 10p, while there will be a 40p hike for off-peak tickets between the Capital and Glasgow. A weekly season ticket on the route will go up from £65.20 to £68.
Britain's main rail union said the price increases would drive more people off trains and into cars.
RMT general secretary Bob Crow said: "The Government talks about the climate challenge and the importance of reducing carbon emissions, but allowing never-ending above-inflation rail fares rises will only result in more polluting road traffic."
Liberal Democrat shadow transport secretary Alistair Carmichael, added: "Passengers will be exasperated by these fare increases, whilst levels of overcrowding on their trains continue to get worse."
But the changes were defended by the Association of Train Operating Companies, which said the cash was needed for "ongoing improvements".
Peter Williams, First ScotRail's commercial director, said: "Our value-for-money strategy continues. The average fare increase over the past 15 months was limited to 4.5 per cent - despite the huge rises we have faced in diesel and electricity costs."
A spokesman for GNER added: "Travel by GNER remains very good value when compared to airlines and private cars, based on cost-per-mile."
The full article contains 553 words and appears in Edinburgh Evening News newspaper.
