RAIL workers took action at stations across Scotland today after privateer ScotRail said fares would rise three times faster than wages.

Their union RMT said fares were set to go up by 3.2 per cent on average, with some commuters hit by an increase of 3.6 per cent.

Pay in Scotland increased by 1 per cent last year — a real terms cut of 1.6 per cent when inflation is taken into account.

In response to the increases RMT members leafleted passengers at Glasgow Central, Edinburgh, Berwick, North Berwick and Dunbar railway stations.

As well as warning passengers of the impending increases, RMT repeated its call for ScotRail to be taken back into public ownership.

The Scottish Parliament has pledged a public-sector bid to take over rail services in Scotland.

RMT general secretary Mick Cash said: “These figures show that privatisation of rail is contributing to the cost of living crisis in Scotland.

"While Dutch state-owned ScotRail’s revenues will increase as a result of the biggest fare increase in five years, Scottish workers are getting paid less in real terms and rail travel is becoming increasingly unaffordable for many.

“This year is the 25th anniversary of the Tory legislation that privatised our railways and, while a public-sector bid for Scotland’s railways proposed by the Scottish government is welcome, we really need the 1993 Railways Act, which comes under the jurisdiction of the UK government, to be scrapped to bring a permanent end to the damaging fragmentation and privatisation of our railways.”