A FLIGHT from Edinburgh to London can be cheaper than a train to Glasgow, Scottish Labour pointed out as it urged the Scottish government to cut the cost of commuting.

Research by Scottish Labour, published today, found that a flight from Edinburgh to London Stanstead could cost as little as £29.98, while a train ticket between Edinburgh and Glasgow has soared to £31.40 after the Scottish government reintroduced peak fares on ScotRail, almost doubling fares in the process.

Peak fares had been ditched as part of a pilot, but SNP transport secretary Fiona Hyslop ended the pilot in September, arguing “it did not achieve its aims of encouraging a significant modal shift from car to rail” and that its £40 million cost only delivered a “limited increase” in passengers — an argument disputed by rail unions and opposition politicians alike.