Badenoch and Strathspey rail passengers face paying more than twice the amount for some journeys taken by others travelling an additional 30 miles from Inverness, it has emerged.
The revelation has stunned a Highland councillor who could not believe the discrepancy when he made a booking.
Local SNP councillor Bill Lobban said he was gobsmacked when he learned that the Aviemore to Perth cost was £25 when boarding the same train from its Inverness starting point can be just £11.60.
He said: “This is a ridiculous situation. If you book in advance, it’s possible to buy a ticket from Inverness to Perth for £11.60, and yet on the same train, between Carrbridge, Aviemore and Kingussie, it’s £25.
“Especially during the period when the A9 is under reconstruction, we’re trying to get people off the road and onto the trains. This will have the complete opposite effect.”
Mr Lobban has highlighted the price difference with Ranald (CORRECT) Robertson, a director of the region’s Hitrans transport agency.
He assured councillors that, as a member of the ScotRail stakeholder advisory panel, he was happy to raise the matter with rail chiefs.
“As well as the advance fare there is the ‘advance two’ that costs £5. You need to book earlier, but it is available from Carrbridge to Perth,” he told Mr Lobban. “If you get in early, you can get from Thurso to Tweedbank (in the Borders) for £5, but (the trip) might take you more than a day.”
The £11.60 Inverness-Perth ticket is an “Advance fare.”
A spokeswoman for ScotRail said: “Fares are calculated using a number of criteria including frequency of services, market demand and managing capacity on peak services. There’s no direct relationship between fares and mileage; this was broken before rail privatisation.
“Offering great value fares is a key franchise commitment. In January, we launched new advance fares, including a £5 Advance fare, our biggest ever discounted ticket.
“The move is part of the rollout of an ‘airline-style’ ticketing system based on pricing seats more closely to demand.”
The discounts are available on a first come, first served basis.
