Cheaper fares for rush hour commuters in Scotland from today
ScotRail begins a 6-month pilot to abolish peak time fares
Commuting by train's getting cheaper for tens of thousands of rush hour travellers in Scotland this morning with the start of a six-month trial scheme to abolish peak time.
The Scottish Government-funded project, encouraging people to travel by rail instead of car, will allow customers to travel all day on off-peak fares until the end of March 2024.
In many cases it means the price of a ticket is almost halved.
- Edinburgh – Glasgow via Falkirk High (£28.90 to £14.90)
- Inverkeithing – Edinburgh (£11.10 to £6.50)
- Perth – Dundee (£14.40 to £9.90)
- Inverness – Elgin (£22.00 to £14.40)
There are some routes where no off-peak fare exists because the same price is available at any time of the day, and as such, customers will not see any change in those areas.
ScotRail says it is responding to one of the most significant impacts of the pandemic which has seen significant drop in the number of people travelling during the traditional peak times.
That market is only around 70 per cent of what it was before the pandemic.
Extra carriage pledge
ScotRail expects that some trains will be busier and will be monitoring services daily.
The train operator will have additional carriages on services between Edinburgh and Glasgow via Falkirk High, with every service operating with seven or eight carriages.
Extra carriages will also be added to services through Glasgow Queen Street Low Level and Glasgow Central Low Level (linking Lanarkshire to Dunbartonshire).
But on routes which rely on diesel trains the company is warning it will not be able to provide extra capacity because of a shortage of rolling stock.
ScotRail in numbers
ScotRail Far North Line in winter
ScotRail operates 3,120.5 kilometres (1,939 miles) of route, from a dense surburban network around Glasgow to some of the most remote stretches of line in the UK including the Far North Line from Inverness to Wick & Thurso
Glasgow Queen Street
Glasgow Queen Street station is the 3rd busiest in Scotland and underwent a £120m rebuilding project between 2017-2021 including a dramatic new glass-fronted entrance from George Square.
ScotRail passengers
46.7m passengers used Scotrail services in 2020-21 according to the Office of Rail Regulation. That's down from a pre-pandemic high of 97.8m in 2018-19.
ScotRail nationalised
Scotrail has been run by public sector body, owned by the Scottish Government, since April 2022. First Minister unveiled a plaque on one of the class 385 electric units which operate the Glasgow - Edinburgh service. Between 2017-22 Scotrail was operated by the Dutch firm Abellio, and before than the privatised franchise was in the hands of First Group and National Express.
ScotRail HST
Scotrail's flagship Inter7City long-distance services are operated by a fleet of refurbished High Speed Trains. These are the oldest rolling stock on the Scottish network having been first introduced in 1976. They are popular with passengers for their spacious and quiet carriages, but questions were raised about their safety and future following the official report into the fatal crash Carmont near Stonehaven in August 2020.
Glasgow Central
Glasgow Central is Scotland's busiest station, by some margin, with an 5,325,090 people counted coming in and out in 2020-21 according to the Office of Rail Regulation. That's more than 2 million more than Edinburgh Waverley station.
Choose the train
Alex Hynes, Scotland’s Railway Managing Director, said:
“We want to encourage more people across the country to choose rail travel instead of using the car.
“Everyone at ScotRail is working hard to make sure that this six-month trial will be a success, and we will be monitoring our services and stations daily to see where we have any significant increases in customer journeys.
“Some services may be busier than normal, so customers are advised to plan their journey using the ScotRail website, app, or social media channels.
“We know that cost and simplicity are critical factors for people when they choose how to travel, and we are looking forward to delivering this fantastic fare reduction for our customers.”
Net zero target
Scotland's Transport Minister Fiona Hyslop said: "Our Programme for Government makes clear our commitment to encourage a shift towards sustainable transport.
"We know that there is much to be done in encouraging people back to rail if we are to achieve our net zero targets.
"This peak fare removal trial is aimed at achieving this by making ticketing simpler with off-peak fares valid all day.
"During the trial period, rail travel will be more affordable and accessible while helping to identify longer-term steps to reduce car use.
"This is an exciting and unique opportunity to encourage more people to choose a safe, reliable, and greener form of public transport."