SCOTS rail users face "another decade of misery" as fares are today hiked by an inflation-busting average of 2.4%, campaign groups have claimed.
Some commuters in Scotland will see the annual cost of getting to work increase by more than £100 from today despite fewer than two-thirds of trains being on time in the UK last year.
At the start of last year, peak fares rose by 3.2% while rail users bombarded ScotRail with complaints in the wake of hundreds of service cancellations covering four months, after the introduction of a new winter timetable at the start of December, 2018.
Fewer than half (47%) of passengers are satisfied with the value for money of train tickets, according to the latest survey by watchdog Transport Focus.
The Consumer Prices Index 12-month inflation rate was 1.5% in November 2019, the same level recorded in October.
READ MORE: Under fire ScotRail gets record £482.8m taxpayer payout
The rise comes a few weeks after it was announced Abellio had been stripped of the ScotRail franchise three years early in the wake of continuing outrage over service failings.
Transport Secretary Michael Matheson told MSPs his officials considered continuing the franchise to its full term would not deliver value for money. And he said there was no justification for a further rise in the subsidy, requested by Abellio.
Bruce Williamson, of pressure group Railfuture, claimed fares are "outstripping people's incomes".
He said: "Welcome to another decade of misery for rail passengers.
"How on earth is the Government going to meet its climate commitments by pricing people off environmentally-friendly trains and on to our polluted and congested roads?"
The transport staff union TSSA also condemned the rate of increase, which will see an annual season ticket between Glasgow to Edinburgh rise by £116 to £4,200, while a similar pass between Tweedbank and Edinburgh on the Borders Railway will go up by £80 to £2,900.
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.
“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."
READ MORE: Revealed - Abellio's £11m fines for years of ScotRail failure
Network Rail data shows around one in three trains in the UK did not arrive at their scheduled station stop within one minute of the timetable in the 12 months to December 7.
Meanwhile, Rail, Maritime and Transport union analysis of company accounts for train operators and three major rolling stock firms showed they have paid out £4.4 billion in dividends to shareholders over the last 10 years.
Transport Focus director David Sidebottom said: "After a year of pretty poor performance in some areas, passengers just want a consistent day-to-day service they can rely on and a better chance of getting a seat."
He urged passengers to "offset the cost of the fare rises" by claiming compensation for every eligible delay.
Passengers buying tickets for day trips have also been hit by the fares rise.
An off-peak return ticket from Dundee to Edinburgh has increased in price by 50p to £29.40.
An Anytime single between Edinburgh and Glasgow, which had cost £14.40, before the fare rise in January 2019, will be up to £15.28 after today's hike.
The increase in around 45% of fares, including season tickets, is regulated by the UK, Scottish and Welsh governments.
This is predominantly capped at July's RPI inflation figure, which was 2.8%. In Scotland regulated off-peak fares are at one per cent below RPI.
Industry body, the Rail Delivery Group (RDG) says 98p of every £1 spent on train fares goes towards running and maintaining services.
Robert Nisbet, RDG director of nations and regions for industry body said: "We know that no-one wants to pay more to travel, and rail companies have, for the third year in a row, held average fare increases below inflation while continuing to deliver investment in new trains and extra services that will improve journeys for customers."
READ MORE: What next for ScotRail after Abellio is stripped of trains contract?
He added that 2020 will see 1,000 extra weekly services and 1,000 more carriages added to Britain's rail fleet.
A Scottish Government spokesman said: “We are committed to ensuring rail fares are affordable for passengers and taxpayers by capping increases where we have influence, making fares 20 per cent cheaper on average than in the rest of Great Britain.
"Two-thirds of the cost of running the railway is already met through Scottish Government subsidy, with the remainder through rail passenger revenues. Any change to rail fares could therefore have a significant impact on the taxpayer."
The Department for Transport will set out reforms of the railways in a white paper, responding to recommendations of the Government-commissioned Rail Review led by former British Airways boss Keith Williams.
It was due to be published in autumn 2019 but has been delayed until this year due to the general election.
“The currently stalled UK-wide Williams review offers an opportunity to reform the broken rail franchise system," the spokesman added. "Rather than implement any measures prematurely, we await the UK Government’s next steps before making fundamental change. This includes fares policy as we would need to understand how it would work within the context of any change to franchising.”
Transport Secretary Grant Shapps announced a new fund will be created to support trials of more flexible fares across England and Wales as part of improvements focused on "putting passengers first".
Mr Shapps unveiled a new fares trial on Govia Thameslink Railway services which will give passengers on certain routes the opportunity to buy better value tickets aimed at part-time workers.
READ MORE: Moves for greater state control as Abellio is stripped of control of Scotland's railways
A fund to support further trials will also be established by the Government.
Mr Shapps said: "This Government will improve the railway system to ensure the focus is always on putting passengers first.
"This commitment begins with the launch of innovative fares trials, to help explore the benefits and costs of a clearer, more flexible and fairer fares system."
Mr Williams said his review's recommendations will be aimed at "creating a system that's built for its passengers".
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