COMMUTERS face price hikes worth more than £100 when train fares increase next year, it has been warned.
ScotRail's regulated peak fares will go up by 3.2 per cent in January, with off peak ticket prices set to rise by 2.2%.
This means some season ticket holders will see substantial rises in the cost of their passes.
The price of an annual Lockerbie to Edinburgh fare will go up £162 to £5,250 while a Glasgow to Edinburgh pass will go up £126 to £4,082, according to analysis carried out by Scottish Labour.
READ MORE: Rail fares are increasing twice as fast as wages, new analysis shows
The party’s connectivity spokesman Colin Smyth said the move will “cripple” commuters.
He added: "This rail fare rise is unwanted, unwelcome and unnecessary.
"It is simply wrong for commuters to have to pay more for train services which are plagued by delays, cancellations and stop-skipping.
"Thousands of working people may now be priced out from travelling on Scotland's railways."
It comes after it emerged rail fares are rising twice as fast as wages.
The latest price hike was confirmed as July’s Retail Prices Index (RPI) measure of inflation was released by the Office for National Statistics.
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This is used to determine the annual increase in regulated train fares, which comes into force every January.
The Scottish Government said almost 97 million passenger journeys were made in 2017 and £8 billion has been invested over the past decade to enhance the network.
Transport Secretary Michael Matheson said: "The Scottish Government recognises that fares increases are unwelcome. That is why we have taken action to minimise these: regulated ScotRail peak fares increases are capped at the level of RPI and regulated off-peak fares at one per cent lower than inflation.
"This means, in Scotland, average fares increases are lower than England and Wales where the UK Government applies an increase equivalent to RPI to all regulated fares.”
READ MORE: ScotRail risks being 'brought to its needs' by industrial action, union warns
Scottish Greens transport spokesman John Finnie said rail users deserved better value for money, while the Scottish Tories demanded any price hike is followed by improvements.
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