Scotland’s Railways

Part of the debate – in the Scottish Parliament at on 30 May 2013.

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Photo of Jenny Marra Jenny Marra Labour

Yes—I am aware of the myriad of fares across our system and of the fact that they are incomprehensible. The Government has made some moves to sort out the anomalies, but there are still many anomalies in existence, which I will come to.

It is now exactly two weeks since lower fares kicked in, and I am pleased to say that many Dundonians are benefiting. Not all of them are, however. Some are still being hit with the Tay tax—the one that we wanted to abolish. Will the Government finish the job that it started at Easter and commit to ending all rail fare anomalies for Dundee within the current franchise?

It is still cheaper to buy a return ticket from Dundee to Leuchars, at £7.80, and a return ticket from Leuchars to Edinburgh, at £23.20, than it is to buy a direct return from Dundee to Edinburgh, at £31.40. It is 40p more expensive to travel with a direct ticket. That is not much, members might say, but it makes no sense at all—and this is my point. The cost per mile between Dundee and Leuchars over the Tay bridge is far higher than for the journey between Leuchars and Edinburgh. Why is that, when Alex Salmond said that he would sort out the Tay tax?

For someone travelling from Edinburgh to Dundee, the last 14 minutes of their journey home, across the beautiful Tay, puts their fare up by 35 per cent. It is a beautiful view, as I am sure the Minister for Transport and Veterans will agree, but people still have to pay through the nose for it, even after the intervention at Easter. Furthermore, I am told that it is cheaper to travel from Leuchars to Edinburgh in first class than it is to travel the longer journey from Dundee to the capital city in standard class.