SCOTTISH commuters returning to work after the Christmas and New Year break will be hit by an inflation-busting 2.4% increase in rail fares while their own income flatlines.

The rise is in Scotland is lower than July’s RPI rate of 2.8%, which England’s fair rises are based on, but still higher than CPI for the same month which was only 2%. According to ONS data released in December 2019, real terms take-home pay is still lower than before the 2008 recession, with average pay rising only 1.5% in the last period, leaving commuters out of pocket.

For example, an annual season ticket from Glasgow to Edinburgh is expected to rise by £114 to £4198.

READ MORE: UK rail fares up by 2.7% in 2020 with travellers unhappy

TSSA general secretary Manuel Cortes said: “Millions of Scottish commuters are being dealt a slap in the face by inflation-busting fare rises while their own wages stagnate. It’s sadly just what we’ve come to expect from this Tory Government."

Cortes criticised the Scottish Government, saying it made the right call to end the Abellio contract early, but lacks "the courage to truly do anything different".

He said: “Transport Secretary Michael Matheson took the right first step when he called time on Abellio’s ScotRail franchise. But refranchising in 2022 isn’t the answer. Only public ownership of the railways can address the sky-high prices and poor services endured by passengers.

“Instead of investing in our railways, Westminster’s Tory Government is more interested in undermining transport workforce by slashing workers’ rights across public transport.”

Scottish Greens transport spokesperson, John Finnie, said: “It’s wrong to ask passengers to pay significantly increased fares when so many have had to deal with poor services over the last year. Delays, cancellations and overcrowding are experienced by passengers all too often.

“It will seem incomprehensible to those travelling between the north, north east and the central belt that their fares are to be increased when the newly refurbished trains they have been promised for so long have failed to materialise.”