Peak rail fares to be cut in six-month trial

Peak time rail fares will be significantly cheaper from next month, ScotRail has confirmed today.

A six-month trial that will allow customers to travel all day on off-peak fares on ScotRail services will start on Monday October 2

The Scottish Government-funded project, encouraging people to travel by rail instead of car, will see considerable savings for people travelling before 9am, for example:

• Helensburgh Central to Glasgow will be £7.90 rather than £12.40
• Gourock to Glasgow will be £8.70 (£13.80)
• Garelochhead to Glasgow £9.20 (£14.60)
• The prices above do not take account of any railcards.

From next week customers can check the ScotRail website, or the app, to see off-peak fares for their route during the six-month period.

ScotRail expects that some trains will be busier and says it will be monitoring services daily, communicating with customers throughout the trial to let them know the best way to make their journey.

Alex Hynes, Scotland’s Railway managing director, said: “This is a hugely exciting opportunity for Scotland’s Railway 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.

“We know that cost and simplicity is a critical factor for people when they choose how to travel, and we are looking forward to delivering this fantastic fare reduction for our customers.”

The Covid-19 pandemic saw steep reductions in the number of people commuting by train in Scotland, and the total number now is only 70% of the previous figure.

Transport Minister Fiona Hyslop said: “The 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 pilot is aimed at achieving this by making ticketing simpler with off-peak fares valid all day.

“This is an exciting and unique opportunity to encourage more people to choose a safe, reliable, and greener form of public transport.”.