Last updated: 1 November 2023
Going by train is on with Off-Peak fares all day for six months from 2 October 2023.
The six-month trial is funded by the Scottish Government, to make public transport more accessible and affordable, and encourage people to ditch the car and travel by train.
We recognise that the rail fare structure can seem complicated and often a barrier for customers, and this trial will make rail fares simpler, and often cheaper. Simplicity and affordability are key considerations in travel decisions, and we are looking forward to offering both to our customers during this trial.
What does this mean for customers?
Customers will be able to travel at any time of the day on Off-Peak tickets, enjoying huge savings. For example, train tickets for travel during traditional peak times between Edinburgh and Glasgow will drop from £28.90 to £14.90.
What other savings can customers expect?
Examples of some of the other savings on routes in and out of the main cities include:
- Inverkeithing – Edinburgh £11.10 to £6.50
- Perth – Dundee £14.40 to £9.90
- Glasgow – Stirling £16.10 to £9.60
- Inverurie – Aberdeen £11.10 to £8.90
- Inverness – Elgin £22.00 to £14.40
Will everyone save money with this trial?
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.
Will there be savings on Flexipass and Season Tickets?
Flexipass and Season Ticket prices will not change. As Off-Peak fares are now valid all day it may be cheaper for you to purchase a ticket each day. If you have a weekly season, or your Season Ticket does not have long until it expires, or if you have a Flexipass with only a few journeys remaining, simply switch to buying daily tickets after your your season runs out or your journeys are used up on your current Flexipass.
mTickets are the quickest, most convenient way to buy and use daily rail tickets. Single and Return tickets can be purchased as mTickets through the ScotRail app and are available instantly.
If your Season Ticket is for a longer period or you have a lot of journeys left on your Flexipass, you can apply for a free-of-charge refund on the remaining value. Find out how to apply for a refund here.
Should I get a daily ticket or a Season Ticket?
We've designed a Season Ticket Calculator to allow customers who travel by train regularly on the same route to compare the cost of a daily return ticket to the cost of a Season Ticket, helping you find the best-value rail ticket to suit your needs.
By telling us the number of days you plan to travel per week, and the length of ticket you want to commit to, we can calculate the best value tickets for your journey from the following:
- Anytime Day Return
- Weekly Season
- Monthly Season
- Annual Season
Where there are no Anytime Day Return fares available, the Calculator will only return the Season Tickets for that journey.
We anticipate the trial will encourage more people to use ScotRail services, with cheaper fares early in the day attracting more people to consider travelling by rail.
We will have every available carriage out on the network. For the start of the trial we will have seven or eight carriage services operating during traditional peak hours on the Edinburgh-Glasgow via Falkirk High route, and additional carriages between Airdrie and Balloch, and on the Argyle Line. We do not have any more diesel trains to increase capacity on the routes where they operate, for example between Glasgow/Edinburgh and Aberdeen/Dundee/Inverness.
To help you plan your journey, we have pulled together a list of our busiest services across our network, and we will be updating this regularly throughout the six-month trial.
The ambitious project, which is a first of its kind in the UK rail industry, 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.
Buying train tickets during the trial
We expect more people travelling during the trial, which means ticket offices and ticket machines are likely to be busier. With that in mind, we recommend customers download the ScotRail app to buy Single and Returns as mTickets, which are available to download instantly.
Our booking systems have been updated with all the new prices for travel from 2 October 2023.
Frequently Asked Questions
This trial is a first of its kind in the UK, so we appreciate there will be lots of questions. If you can’t find the answer on above, try the FAQs section below…
What does this mean for each ticket type?
This section is all about ScotRail ticket types.
What does this mean for Off-Peak tickets?
Off-Peak Single and Return tickets will become valid for travel all day, any day. The current time restrictions for Off-Peak tickets won’t apply for the duration of the trial. This means, during the trial, Off-Peak tickets will be available for travel on any train.
Why does the Off-Peak fare for my journey still have a time restriction?
For some journeys (for example between Dunbar and Edinburgh or those crossing the Scottish border) the fares are controlled by other train operators, so we are unable to change those.
Why has my fare not changed?
Where a journey has no current Off-Peak fare, customers will not see any change.
What does this mean for Super Off-Peak tickets?
For the duration of the trial, the Super Off-Peak Day Return ticket has been withdrawn and customers will not be able to purchase these during this time. We’re doing this to provide a clear message that tickets no longer have time restrictions on when you can travel.
If you have already bought a Super Off-Peak Day Return ticket for travel during the trial, this ticket will still be honoured, although the time restrictions of this ticket will still apply.
What does this mean for Anytime tickets?
Anytime tickets will be reduced to the same level as the equivalent Off-Peak fare.
As this is a six-month pilot, customers will still see this ticket type online. However, you will not pay any more than the equivalent Off-Peak fare.
What does this mean for Season Tickets?
Season Ticket prices will not change. As Off-Peak fares are now valid all day it may be cheaper for you to purchase a ticket each day. If you have a weekly season, or your Season Ticket does not have long until it expires, simply switch to buying daily tickets after your season runs out.
mTickets are the quickest, most convenient way to buy and use daily rail tickets. Single and Return tickets can be purchased as mTickets through the ScotRail app and are available instantly..
If your Season Ticket is for a longer period, you can apply for a free-of-charge refund on the remaining value. Find out how to apply for a refund here.
What does this mean for Flexipass?
Flexipass prices will not change. As Off-Peak fares are now valid all day it may be cheaper for you to purchase a ticket each day you travel. If you have only a few journeys remaining on your current Flexipass, simply switch to buying daily tickets after your journeys are used up.
If you would like to apply for a free-of-charge refund on the remaining value, you can apply for a refund here.
What does this mean for Kids for a Quid tickets?
Kids for a Quid tickets, which allow up to four children to travel for £1 return each with a fare paying adult, will now be valid for travel all day, any day.
What does this mean for Group tickets?
GroupSave tickets and Group Travel discounts will now be valid for travel all day, any day.
What does this mean for First Class travel?
Where there is an Off-Peak fare in First Class, this ticket will now be valid for travel all day, any day.
What does this mean for railcards?
This section is all about questions relating to railcards, including National Railcards, National Entitlement Cards, Club 50 etc.
What does this mean for National Railcards?
The terms and conditions of National Railcards are not controlled by ScotRail, so we are unable to change these. Where a National Railcard dictates a minimum fare for travel during peak times - such as the 16-25, 26-30, and Veterans Railcard – this minimum fare will still apply. However, you can still benefit from reduced fares when travelling at peak times as Off-Peak tickets will be valid all day.
Where a National Railcard terms and conditions dictate that you cannot travel during the peak – such as Two Together and Senior Railcards - these time restrictions will still apply.
What does this mean for Young Scot National Entitlement Cards?
Those with Young Scot National Entitlement Cards will be able to make use of the reduced fares all day long, as we have removed the minimum fare which usually applies to travel during the morning peak. We have been able to remove this minimum fare as the terms and conditions of the Young Scot card are controlled by ScotRail.
What does this mean for local authority National Entitlement Cards?
For the duration of the trial, those with local authority National Entitlement cards can travel with a rail concessionary fare at any time of day.
What does this mean for Club 50 members?
Club 50 members will get even better value as your discounted Off-Peak tickets will be valid for travel all day, any day.
What does this mean for combined tickets and travel passes?
This section is all about questions relating to combined tickets such as Rail & Sail, and travel passes such as the Spirit of Scotland.
What does this mean for Rail & Sail tickets?
The rail element of your ticket will have any time restriction removed.
What does this mean for Rail & Bus tickets?
The rail element of your ticket will have any time restriction removed.
What does this mean for Spirit of Scotland travel pass?
The rail element of your Spirit of Scotland travel passes will now be valid for travel all day, any day.
What does this mean for Scottish Grand Tour travel pass?
The rail element of your Scottish Grand Tour travel passes will now be valid for travel all day, any day.
What does this mean for Highland Rover?
The rail element of your Highland Rover tickets will now be valid for travel all day, any day.
What does this mean for Central Scotland Rover?
The rail element of your Central Scotland Rover tickets will now be valid for travel all day, any day.
Searching for tickets online
This section is all about questions related to searching for tickets online via ScotRail’s App or website booking engine.
When will we be able to find the reduced fares?
Our booking systems have been updated now, displaying the reduced fares for travel from 2 October 2023.
I can see fares for both Anytime and Off-Peak tickets, which are the same price - which should I buy?
You can buy any ticket, either Anytime or Off-Peak for the duration of the trial as Anytime tickets will be reduced to Off-Peak prices, and Off-Peak tickets will have the time restrictions removed meaning you can travel all day, any day.
Refunds
The section is about questions relating to refunds during the peak fares removal trial.
I have a Season Ticket - can I get a refund?
If your Season Ticket expires after 2 October 2023, you can apply free-of-charge for full or partial refund.
I have a Flexipass - can I get a refund?
If you have journeys left on your Flexipass after 2 October 2023, you can apply free-of-charge for full or partial refund.
The trial
The section is all about questions relating to the trial itself.
Who is funding the trial?
The Scottish Government is funding this trial.
Why is the trial happening?
To encourage more people to consider rail as a preferable and more sustainable mode of transport.
How long will the trial run for?
The trial is scheduled to run for six months from 2 October 2023 until 31 March 2024.
What happens at the end of the six-month trial?
The trial will come to an end and peak fares will be restored from Monday, 1 April. We will then take some time to review the impact of the trial with the Scottish Government and update customers on the long-term plans for fares.