Taking ScotRail back under public control was supposed to usher in a new era for Scotland’s railways.
Instead, fares have increased every year and timetables offer fewer services than in the years before the Covid pandemic.
The latest hike in ticket prices, which takes effect on April 1, means the cost of travelling on the railway has risen by more than 10 per cent in the space of a year.
And it comes months after the Scottish Government reversed the popular decision to end the outdated system of peak-time fares, which sees passengers punished for travelling before 9.30am or between 4.30pm and 6.30pm.
SNP ministers have spent years presenting themselves as champions of public transport. They have also never wasted an opportunity to claim they understand the need to protect the environment by encouraging people to take fewer car journeys.
The reality is different. Passengers are being asked to spend more and more to travel on a network almost no one views as value for money. The cost of a peak-time return ticket between Glasgow and Edinburgh is already more than £30.
Meanwhile, countries like Spain and Germany are aggressively lowering ticket prices to boost passenger numbers. They understand public transport needs committed investment, not a meek acceptance that fares must climb ever higher.
The majority of Scotland’s population is spread out across the central belt. It should not be difficult to link communities with a fast and affordable public transport network.
But this will take action, not words.
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Lead us to EU
It is no surprise to most Scots that a majority of UK voters now think Brexit was a mistake.
The disastrous move was driven by right-wing Tories and Nigel Farage, who used leaving the European Union as a way of getting their anti-immigrant views into the mainstream.
They promised us the Earth but there was never any substance behind it. Scots were canny enough to see through these con men. We knew it would be a disaster, which is why we voted two to one against it. It is unfortunate people in the rest of the UK did not see it the way we did.
There’s clear evidence Brexit has hit us in the pocket and brought no real benefits to speak of.
It is time for the Labour Government in Westminster to be brave and get us back trading freely with our European neighbours.
It may not be popular in some shaky Labour seats – but it’s an issue where Keir Starmer has to lead, not follow.
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