Concern raised over Caledonian Sleeper train prices from north-east
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Gordon MP Richard Thomson has written to the managing director of the Caledonian Sleeper after it emerged that the operating company is pricing some tickets from Aberdeen to London at almost double the equivalent fares for the service between Edinburgh and London.
Recent ticket prices from Aberdeen have been priced significantly higher in comparison to the equivalent from central belt cities Edinburgh or Glasgow.
To travel on July 11 from Aberdeen to Euston, a ‘Classic’ room cost £240 and a ‘Club’ room cost £340. The prices from Edinburgh for the same day were £125 and £180 respectively.
After raising the issue on social media and discussing general public transport price irregularities in recent interviews, Mr Thomson has written to the managing director to request the chance to discuss the justification for the price difference on the sleeper service.
Mr Thomson said: “While people travelling between Aberdeen and London might expect to have to pay a little bit more than their central belt counterparts, it’s still hard to see a justification for some of the price differences that we’re seeing at present across road, rail and air travel.
"This seems to be a particular problem on the Caledonian Sleeper ‘Highlander’ services, which are now routinely much more expensive than the equivalent ‘Lowlander’ service to Edinburgh and Glasgow.
“If there’s an issue with capacity on the Aberdeen sleeper route, the solution is surely to increase that capacity, rather than to take advantage by charging a premium for the berths that are available.
“The north-east needs good, reliable and affordable transport connections for business and leisure travellers. While increased flights and increasing competition might help to bring prices down as we emerge from the pandemic, long-distance transport operators need to play fair on fares with north-east passengers and do their bit to support recovery too.
“I have called for the Caledonian Sleeper fares to be reviewed so issues like this do not hinder our economic recovery.”
