SCOTTISH First Minister John Swinney announced a rail fare freeze today, just hours before his government’s Budget faces its first parliamentary test.

During a visit to Edinburgh’s bustling Waverley station, Mr Swinney announced that Scottish government-owned ScotRail would receive around £4.3 million in cash from the Budget to support the freeze in 2026-27, a move that follows a similar announcement by the Westminster government in November.

The measure builds on the Scottish government’s decision to permanently scrap peak fares.

Mr Swinney said: “The government recognises the challenges that people face in wrestling with the cost of living at the moment, so we’re looking for every step we can take to try to help people.

“We’ve decided to freeze rail fares for next year, so there’ll be no annual increase in rail fares and what that will do is help commuters to afford their daily travel.

“When you add to that the abolition of peak rail fares, which we undertook in September last year, it’s a huge saving in the cost of travel for individuals and helps people at a time when household incomes are under such pressure.”

Train drivers’ union Aslef gave a cautious welcome to the fares freeze, with Scotland organiser Kevin Lindsay insisting that “there needs to be a review of the overpriced and overly complicated ticketing system if we are to get more people out of cars and onto trains.”

Eddie Dempsey, general secretary of sister rail union RMT, said: “This welcome development will keep rail services in Scotland affordable at a time of rises in the cost of living. 

“It is imperative we continue to encourage the public to use the railway and leave their cars at home. This can only be a success with affordable fares. 

“This is why tackling outsourcing is key to creating a sustainable railway in public hands.”

TSSA general secretary Maryam Eslamdoust, whose union represents white-collar rail workers, welcomed the move but insisted it must not be a short-term measure ahead of May’s Holyrood elections.

She said: “What we need to see now is a long-term drive to make Scotland’s railways affordable for the people of Scotland.”

The announcement came just hours before the SNP’s pre-election Budget, which sets a course for “efficiency savings” of around £1.5bn with the axing of 11,000 public-sector jobs, faced its stage one vote in Holyrood.