Dundee and Angus business leaders have joined the backlash against the ”damaging” cost of train travel to the region.
The Federation of Small Businesses and the chamber of commerce backed demands for a reduction in fares amid concerns the extortionate cost of travelling to Dundee from Edinburgh and Glasgow could jeopardise the success of the V&A Museum.
The influential organisations spoke out after Labour MSP Jenny Marra claimed commuters are the victims of a ”Tay Tax” which sees them hit with disproportionately expensive ticket prices.
Alan Mitchell, chief executive of Dundee and Angus Chamber of Commerce, described the fares as ”very expensive” and said they could put tourists off.
”It is particularly significant in the context of the redevelopment of Dundee,” he said. ”We are trying to attract more tourists to Dundee and the cost to get here could obviously harm that.
”The Scottish Government is investing in the V&A Museum and you would think they would want to take the necessary action to get a return on their investment.”
Areas around Glasgow and Edinburgh benefit from being part of a ”regulated zone” in which fares are closely controlled by the Government.
Dundee is outwith the zone, except for some season tickets, meaning train operators are free to set their own prices.
Mr Mitchell said this could unfairly advantage the central belt and lead to an ”imbalanced economy”.
”What is and is not included in a regulated zone is for the Scottish Government to determine but we are clear on one thing: Dundee is a major business and population centre of Scotland and we need to be provided with railway connections of the same affordability and quality as the rest of the country,” he said.
Charles Goodall, from the North East Scotland branch of the Federation of Small Businesses, also said the cost of train fares could ”damage” firms.
He highlighted the inconsistency in pricing which means a vast range of fares are available on the same journeys and it is sometimes cheaper to buy separate tickets for different legs of the route.
”If you take a car and drive, you can predict almost to the penny how much it is going to cost you for the journey but you have no idea how much it is going to cost by train,” he said.
”I saw the prices quoted in The Courier earlier this week for different journeys and it just showed how absolutely stupid the whole system is. The fares are really not helping business.
”To get tourists to this area, the only real options are by train or car. With the environme ntal impact, you would think the government would be encouraging us to use public transport. Instead, they are robbing us with the train system they have in place.”