Rail travellers in Scotland face another hike in fares after the Scottish government agreed to push up the price of tickets by 3.8% from April.

It means an anytime return ticket between Glasgow and Edinburgh will rise by £1.20 – from £31.40 to £32.60.

Ministers were alreaady under fire over the 8.7% rise last year but were persuaded that a further increase was needed to maintain service levels.

Opposition parties said the price rise follows frequent delays and other disruptions.

Scottish Labour’s transport spokeswoman Claire Baker said the price increase would “hammer” rail passengers and “consign ScotRail to a spiral of decline”.

She added: “The SNP should be making rail more affordable, but instead it has hit passengers with painful fare hikes time and time again.”

Sue Webber, transport spokeswoman for the Scottish Conservatives, said: “Nicola Sturgeon promised a bright new future for Scotland’s railways when nationalising it almost three years ago, but the exact opposite has happened.

The LibDems calle for a” cheap, reliable and frequent rail service”, while Greens transport spokesperson Mark Ruskell said it was his party that secured the removal of peak rail fares while part of the government.

Transport Secretary Fiona Hyslop said: “We know that any increase is unwelcome for passengers, therefore we have kept the rise as low as possible to maintain the attractiveness and affordability of rail as a travel option.

“We continue to look at ways to encourage greater rail use and that is why we are continuing our 20% discounts on season tickets until September 2025 as planned and expanding the availability of Flexipass.

“ScotRail also continue to develop fares initiatives which can help attract more passengers, while offering savings and added value to existing rail users.”