ScotRail must become more “affordable and reliable” if people are to be encouraged to leave their cars at home and take the train instead.
The publicly-owned network will reintroduce a full timetable of services on Monday for the first time since July after train drivers ended an overtime ban last month.
But ScotRail has faced a wave of criticism from passengers and politicians following the reintroduction of peak time fares last week, which has pushed the cost of a return ticket between Glasgow and Edinburgh to more than £30.
The network is still running fewer services than in 2020 before the outbreak of the covid pandemic which saw passenger numbers plummet.
And a “temporary” ban on the consumption of alcohol on trains remains in place despite being regularly ignored by some passengers on evening and weekend services.
The Scottish Greens have joined trade unions in calling for peak time fares to be scrapped permanently and services on key routes to become more frequent.
MSP Mark Ruskell told the Record passenger numbers would not return to pre-covid levels “by pricing people off rail”.
He said: “We have no chance of hitting any of our climate targets without cutting transport emissions. If we are going to encourage people to leave their cars at home and use public transport then we urgently need to ensure that trains are always an accessible, affordable and reliable option.
“When we took ScotRail into public hands it should have been the start of building a people’s railway that worked for all of Scotland. Instead we have a Scottish Government that is driving up prices by bringing back extortionate peak fares while cutting back on services.
“We won’t get passenger numbers back up to pre-pandemic levels by pricing people off rail and offering post-Covid service levels. The Edinburgh and Glasgow route is one of the most widely used in the country, and I urge ScotRail to listen to the many commuters who rely on it.”
A Transport Scotland spokeswoman said: “We know passengers will welcome the return of the normal ScotRail timetable from Monday and will share our focus to keep on building emerging markets such as leisure travel and offering extensive discounts to those passengers who must travel in the peak period.
“Ministers are fully expectant that Scotland’s railway will continue to grow and that includes encouraging greater demand for rail services.”
ScotRail said it was continuing to recruit more drivers to lessen its reliance on staff choosing to work rest days.
The operator said more than 250 drivers had been recruited since it was returned to public ownership in 2022.
Mark Ilderton, ScotRail service delivery director, said: “We are delighted to confirm that our full timetable will return on Monday. We have been working round the clock to deliver this in a very short space of time because we know how important a full service is to our customers.
“It’s been a difficult few months for our customers and staff, and we thank everybody for their patience.”
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