Border divides attitudes over what to subsidise on railways

FOR passengers boarding a ScotRail train from January 1 next year, the price of most tickets is likely to increase by 4.1%.

If you're getting on a train south of the Border, barring another U-turn by the Coalition, fares will go up by 6.2%, nearly twice the rate of inflation. Why the disparity?

The answer is not that the Scottish Government, which sets fares for ScotRail, has simply chosen to throw more money at the railway – though its policy will prove expensive. But there is a rift emerging between Westminster and Holyrood over what rail subsidies should be spent on.

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