Imagine a world in which peak time fares didn’t exist. Where commuting didn’t cost you an arm and a leg, where you didn’t have to travel at awkward times to avoid jacked-up prices. Well, those living in Scotland don’t have to imagine any longer: Scotrail, the nation’s publicly-owned rail operator, has just scrapped peak fares.
Scotrail operates routes all over Scotland, and its new pricing model could see some tickets get nearly 50 percent cheaper. The Scottish government says that the aim of the policy is to get commuters out of cars and into trains.
The operator previously used a ticket pricing model that made busier commuter times more expensive. This covered tickets bought before 9.15am on weekdays, and other services with tickets bought between 4.42pm and 6.30pm.
How much cheaper are Scotrail’s new prices?
The policy came into effect yesterday (September 1), and it’s already had a massive impact on ticket prices. Peak fares between Glasgow and Edinburgh previously cost £32.60; now they’re just £16.80. Here are some examples of ticket price savings, according to Scotrail.
- Edinburgh-Glasgow: £16.80 (48 percent drop)
- Inverkeithing-Edinburgh: £7.40 (41 percent drop)
- Perth-Dundee £11.20 (31 percent drop)
- Glasgow-Stirling £10.80 (40 percent drop)
- Inverurie-Aberdeen: £10.10 (20 percent drop)
- Inverness-Elgin: £16.30 (34 percent drop)
Season tickets on routes that previously had peak time prices are unchanged.
This isn’t the first time in recent years that UK rail travellers have enjoyed peak-fare-free travel. A pilot scheme in 2023 saw train services in Scotland temporarily remove peak fares, while earlier this year London had three months of off-peak fares all day on Fridays. By contrast, LNER recently scrapped off-peak fares on its Edinburgh-London services.
Scotrail’s new peak-free pricing model came into effect on September 1. Find out more and book on the operator’s website here.
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