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The Scotrail fare rise is covered on the Scotland page of the BBC News website (January 21). The BBC opened the article to readers’ comments and what a catalogue of evidence-free, statistics-free bile!

This is the BBC headline ‘ScotRail fares set to increase by nearly 4%’. (By the way, the ’to nearly 4%’ in the headline could have been shorten to the accurate ‘to 3.8%’.)

The article adds: ‘Transport Scotland said a 20% discount on season tickets would continue until September and the travel card Flexipass – which offers 12 single journeys for the price of 10 – has been expanded to cover more stations.’

The British Labour Party in Scotland reacted! The same BBC article reports: ‘.. transport spokeswoman Claire Baker said the price increase would “hammer” rail passengers and “consign ScotRail to a spiral of decline”. She added: “The SNP should be making rail more affordable, but instead it has hit passengers with painful fare hikes time and time again. “This increase is bad for Scotland’s rail passengers, bad for our economy and bad for the environment.“

Meanwhile Labour in Westminster! The BBC News website on October 30, 2024 had this headline: ‘‘Rail fares set to rise in England next year’. (If written for a Scotland readership, it may have read: ‘‘Rail fares to rise in England by nearly 5%’.)

The latter BBC piece reports: ‘‘Regulated train fares in England are to increase by 4.6% next year, while the price of most railcards will rise by £5, the government has announced. The increases were not mentioned by the chancellor in her Budget speech to the House of Commons earlier on Wednesday, but it was instead noted in the Treasury’s budget document.’

We also learn this: ‘The Treasury said the 4.6% increase to regulated rail fares in 2025 was one percentage point above July’s Retail Prices Index (RPI) measure of inflation.’

Commenting on this British Labour Party government’s action: ‘… the Campaign for Better Transport said raising rail fares above inflation and increasing the cost of railcards was a “kick in the teeth” for people who rely on public transport, particularly those on low incomes.’ Such comment made against a Labour government’s 4.6% rise? What would Labour’s Claire Baker MSP make of this?

The Manchester Evening News (November 1, 2024) had this headline: ‘Exact date train fares and railcards will rise next year after Budget 2024 – Chancellor Rachel Reeves unveiled the Government’s spending plans in the Autumn Budget on Wednesday’.

This article shares more of the Westminster government’s ‘justification’ for this 4.6% fare increase:

‘The Government says the measures, including both its ticket fare and the 17% increase to railcard prices, will aid its ‘reform’ agenda by enhancing ‘efficiency’ and diminishing expenses. “These policies will support the Secretary of State for Transport’s plans for reform, which will increase efficiency and reduce costs, while boosting ridership and revenue and improving performance, laying the groundwork for the transition to Great British Railways,” the executive summary further explained.’

Are there any reasons Labour in Scotland would accept for what is after all a lower ticket price rise here that Labour has agreed for England – and probably will for Wales shortly too?

And from Labour in opposition in. Westminster. Sky News online (back on December 22, 2023) had this headline: ‘Millions set to pay ‘brutal’ rail fare rise next year – The government said the new 4.9% increase cap is less than this year’s- but Labour called it another “brutal bumper rise”.

Labour in opposition in Westminster calls the Tory’s 4.9% rise a ‘brutal bumper rise in rail fares”. And ‘Shadow transport secretary Louise Haigh was quoted: “… this is an insult to millions. Labour will reform our broken railways and finally put passengers first.”

I suppose a 4.9% rise under the Tories in 2024 is bigger than the 4.6% in 2025 under Labour. The small difference is in stark contrast to the differences in Labour’s responses!

On December 3, 2024 the BBC News website had this headline, again reflecting on the Reeves’ budget: ‘Rail fares to rise despite renationalisation plans’: ‘Three rail operators will be renationalised by Labour next year, but the move is not expected to bring down fares for passengers travelling on these lines.’

What’s the British Labour Party like?