Peak-time rail fares in Scotland will only rise by the same amount as inflation, transport chiefs confirmed.
Commuters taking the train in England and Wales face a 4.1% surge in regulated rail fares from next year but ScotRail bosses restated that prices north of the border would increase by the same amount as inflation, going up by 3.1% in January.
ScotRail also confirmed that off-peak fares north of the border will be frozen at their current level next year.
Transport minister Keith Brown had announced the pricing plans at the end of last year.
But as the price hikes in rail fares south of the border were announced, a ScotRail spokeswoman said: “We are pleased to have frozen fares for 40% of journeys and limited others to an inflation-only increase.
“This means we continue to provide better value for money for customers in Scotland, especially when fuel and energy costs continue to rise steeply.
“We will also continue to invest. We are committed to making rail journeys more pleasant as well as delivering high levels of punctuality.
“This is striking a chord with customers, with nine out of ten saying they are satisfied with their rail journeys.”
Increases in rail fares are determined by the Retail Prices Index (RPI) measure of inflation.
While travellers in England and Wales are facing rises of RPI plus 1%, in Scotland rail fares will only increase by the level of RPI in 2014 and 2015, provided this remains below 3.5%.
Off-peak fares will not be raised at all, provided inflation remains below 3.5% for the remainder of the ScotRail franchise, which comes to an end in March 2015.