My ScotRail fare has gone up by £20 - I wish the trains here were like Portugal

It was clean, everyone had a seat, there was on-board catering and gorgeous views out the window.

By now you have probably guessed that I was not in Scotland - I was on holiday in Portugal. And after spending a few days in the north drinking lots of wine in Porto, I took the train down to enjoy the sights of the capital Lisbon.

But perhaps the most notable thing - this journey of almost 200 miles cost me just £23. I am sadly not on holiday anymore.

Which sadly means I am back to dealing with dirty, overcrowded and overpriced ScotRail trains to get from my home in Perth to my work in Edinburgh.

Despite being significantly shorter in distance, this train journey now costs an awful lot more than the train in Portugal.

It may only be a mere 45 miles, but when I buy my ticket this morning I will be forking out over £34 for the privilege of getting to work. This is more than £20 what I have been paying for this exact same journey for the past year.

There are two reasons for this - first, the Scottish Government has reintroduced peak rail fares as it deals with financial difficulties.

Second, my railcard runs out today. I have had a railcard, which offers a third off ticket prices, pretty much since I left home to go to university when I was 18.

But alas, the train gods have deemed that at 31, I should be expected to pay full price for my ticket.

On Monday I asked the First Minister if he thinks it is acceptable to ask people to pay £34 to travel 45 miles on a publicly-owned train service. He said the train network has to be “financially sustainable” and pointed out the Scottish Government “has got to live within its means”.

Fair enough - but as one punter said on BBC Radio Scotland on Monday morning, many commuters cannot choose when they use the trains.

It is not just the price that is frustrating to deal with.

The trains are dirty - when I sat down on the last train I took to Edinburgh, there was cigarette butts, chewing gum and litter, and that is before we start taking a closer inspection down the sides of the chairs.

Read more: I take over 2 hours to get from Perth to Edinburgh for work by train - it was quicker during Victorian times

Going to the toilet is a precarious business. I can count on two hands the amount of times I have used them and the tap, soap dispenser and hand dryer are all in working order, hence why I always have a bottle of hand sanitiser in my work backpack.

The wifi does not work. I spend my morning commute writing The Steamie morning politics newsletter, which I strongly recommend you sign up for, but I have to rely on my phone hotspot as it is beyond futile even attempting the ScotRail offering.

ScotRail could and should be on a par with the train services elsewhere in Europe.

Public transport is the future of travel if we are ever going to tackle the climate emergency. But until we get more sensible prices, Scots will continue to choose their cars. I just wish I was still on that £23 train in Portugal.