A north-east transport body is urging railway chiefs to offer fairer ticket prices between a Mearns town and the Granite City.
The North East of Scotland Transport Partnership is calling for rail operators to slash the price on tickets between Laurencekirk and Aberdeen, which are more expensive than journeys of a comparable distance elsewhere in the country.
It currently costs passengers £16.50 for a return ticket between the town and the city.
Nestrans, which is made up of representatives from both Aberdeen City and Aberdeenshire councils, has pointed out many similar 30-mile journeys elsewhere in Scotland are cheaper.
Returns between Insch and Aberdeen, a 28-mile journey, cost £13.90.
The same tickets on the 31-mile journey between Aviemore and Inverness cost £14, and £13 from Glasgow to Stirling.
Nestrans has now called for day returns to be made available to passengers boarding at Laurencekirk for Aberdeen, and has written to Transport Scotland to highlight the issue.
A report, which is being presented to its members today, confirmed: “Nestrans has carried out research into whether there is evidence that rail fares in the north-east were higher than in other parts of Scotland.
“Concern was raised that anomalies existed, such as Laurencekirk being more expensive to travel from than other similar journeys.
“Research showed that certain ticket types such as day returns and flexipass tickets are not available from Laurencekirk, although they are available from nearby stations.
“Laurencekirk to Aberdeen is classed as long distance and, therefore, day return tickets are not currently available.”
A ScotRail Alliance spokeswoman responded there was no direct correlation between fares and mileage.
She added: “We are considering introducing advance tickets between Laurencekirk and Aberdeen on certain dates and times, priced between £5 and £7.80 per journey. The round-trip price would be between £10 and £15.60, offering a saving over an open return.”
Last night, Conservative Mearns councillor, George Carr, said: “The train station usage is well beyond the expectations from when the idea was first put forward.
“Since it opened, we have had people concerned about prices, especially younger people.
“Anything that can be done to level out the charges would be welcomed in Laurencekirk and all the [neighbouring] villages.”