Scotland’s beleaguered train operator has posted losses for a third consecutive year, undermining claims that it has been profiteering from commuters.

In accounts released over Christmas Abellio ScotRail said it had ended the past financial year £10 million in the red, owing £40 million to its owner, the nationalised railway of the Netherlands.

The latest losses were filed as Labour accused the company of “fleecing” Scottish passengers “to boost profits of the Dutch railway”.

The figures confirm that the company has been repeatedly bailed out by unsecured loans from its parent company, effectively meaning that Dutch taxpayers have been subsidising Scottish travellers.

Abellio took over the ScotRail franchise in 2015 as rumours circulated among industry insiders that it had asked for too little to run