Monday September 1st 2025
Eskbank Station
Written by Midlothian View Reporter, Liam Eunson
Starting from today (1st September) ScotRail has scrapped peak rail fares meaning customers will pay the same fare no matter what time they travel, or the day of the week.
Scrapping peak fares will mean significant savings for travellers throughout the country as, before today, customers were paying different prices for busier times of the day. Removing these changing fares will reduce some journey prices by almost 50%, for example travel between Edinburgh and Glasgow being 48% cheaper for customers.
The policy announced by the Scottish Government in May this year is aiming to make train fares simpler, more flexible, and provide better value for money for rail users. A further aim of the change is to get more people to leave the car at home and travel by rail instead.
Example’s of the new savings, shared by ScotRail, include:
Examples of new train fares. Source: ScotRail
With a pilot scheme introduced last year by Transport Scotland, that scrapped ScotRail peak-time rail fares, ending on the 27th of September 2024 due to not achieving its aims, the new policy that begins today aims for better success. Despite the pilot scheme last year being unsuccessful it did see train usage increase 6.8% but the overall success needed a 10% commuter increase to continue past its pilot phase.
The significant change to the fare structure will support the Scottish Government’s ambition to achieve net zero, providing more people with the opportunity to use trains as their primary form of transport.
ScotRail was recently ranked as one of the best train operating companies for customer satisfaction. With an overall satisfaction of 91 per cent, ScotRail is performing better than all other large operators in Britain.
It has been a hugely successful summer for the operator, with more than 200,000 customers travelling on services to attend events across the country, including the Tall Ships Races in Aberdeen, music events at Hampden Park, the Edinburgh Festivals, and Oasis in concert at Murrayfield stadium.
Fiona Hyslop MSP, Cabinet Secretary for Transport, said:
“Public ownership has created the opportunity to deliver a railway which is run for the benefit of the nation. ScotRail is one of the fastest growing operators, with one of the best passenger satisfaction rates and we are building even further on this success by removing peak fares for good.”
“We want more people to choose to travel by public transport for work, study and leisure but we know that many are still struggling with cost-of-living pressures. By removing peak fares, we are making ticketing more simple and more straightforward while at the same time supporting a shift towards sustainable public transport, protecting the climate, and saving people money.”
There are some routes where no off-peak fare exists because the same fare is already available at any time of the day, and as such, customers will not see any change in those areas.
As part of the move to simpler and more flexible fares, a number of other tickets will also be updated:
Season Tickets will remain at their current pricing until 27 September, offering exceptional value. For regular travellers, this represents a saving of at least 40 per cent compared to purchasing five Anytime Day Return tickets at pre-1 September prices. This discount was part of a 12-month offer launched in September 2024.
Flexipass tickets will have adjusted pricing from 1 September to ensure they continue to offer a saving compared to buying multiple Anytime Single or Return tickets, while still providing flexibility for part-time or hybrid commuters.
Super Off-Peak Day Return tickets will be withdrawn, as the removal of peak fares means customers now benefit from great value fares all day, every day.
Railcards, concessions, and enhanced discounts will continue to be available, with most remaining valid for travel after 9.15am, in line with existing conditions.
Joanne Maguire, ScotRail Managing Director, said:
“This is fantastic news, not only for our existing customers, but for everyone across the country considering rail travel for their commute or leisure journeys.”
“Travelling by train remains one of the most convenient ways to get around, and with simpler, more affordable fares, we hope to see many more people choose ScotRail.”
Click here for more information and new train fare prices.
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