Peak rail fares to be scrapped by Scottish Government from early October

The Scottish government funded project is designed to encourage more people to travel by train instead of cars. Credit: PA

Peak rail fares on ScotRail services are to be scrapped in a six month trial.

The Scottish Government funded project aims to encourage more people to ditch their cars and travel by train.

The scheme will come into effect from Monday 2 October and will allow customers to be able to purchase an off-peak ticket at anytime of the day. This will run until at least the end of March 2024.

Rail fares in Scotland will be cheaper in the morning from Monday 2 October. Credit: PA

Current rail fares in the morning are more expensive on some ScotRail services.

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.”

ScotRail expects that some trains will be busier. Credit: PA

ScotRail say they expect that some of their services will be busier and that they will be monitoring services daily.

The project is the first of its kind in the UK and is part of the Scottish Government's plan to achieve net zero.

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