MANAGERS OF First ScotRail explained their decision to raise prices at a meeting at Dundee rail station yesterday.

Representatives from the company met Dundee East MSP Shona Robison and SNP councillor Joe Fitzpatrick to discuss the recent price increases.

They also spoke to regular commuters at the station concerned about the changes to First ScotRail’s services.

Ms Robison told them she felt many Dundonians believed they were getting a raw deal from the new charges, with some fares such as a standard open return from Dundee to Edinburgh now costing £22.30—an increase of 28%.

First ScotRail say that they cannot schedule more trains to cope with demand because of the limits of Scotland’s rail infrastructure and that they have to meet the costs of rising fuel and electricity charges.

They say they have made three services at peak times in the morning non-reservable in order to deter people whose travel arrangements are flexible from using trains when they are at their busiest.

Ms Robison said, “First ScotRail and I are going to have to agree to disagree.

“It is not that I don’t understand their arguments but it seems that Dundonians are paying the price because the trains are so busy further down the track.

“There are other solutions, such as them increasing their rolling stock.”

Steve Montgomery, operations director with First ScotRail, said that more people were using trains and it was important that the company continued attracting more customers.

“The encouraging thing is that more people are using trains but the question is how we can keep that going and keep rail travel sustainable,” he said.

He also promised that the company would be pressing ahead with plans to install ticket vending machines and CCTV cameras at Dundee station by the end of the calendar year.

Mr Montgomery stressed that the installation of new ticket machines would not have any impact on jobs at the station.