Peak-time rail fares to be permanently scrapped in Scotland from September 2025

[A330Alex]

This was just announced in the Scottish Government Programme for Government 2025-26.

Scotland will scrap peak rail fares for good - Swinney
​

Swinney says the government is committed to doing more to combat the cost of living crisis and improving quality of life for people in Scotland.
He says that peak rail fares in Scotland will be scrapped “for good” from 1 September after a pilot scheme last year.
He also points to the decision made last year to restore the winter fuel payment for Scottish pensioners, and says the payments will be made later in 2025.
The first minister says the new tariffs on Scottish exporters to the USA have created a “new threat” which could cause “extensive damage” to the Scottish economy.
The “scale of the looming economic challenge” also prompted the Scottish government to move up the Programme for Government, he says.

Programme for government: John Swinney pledges 100,000 extra GP appointments

First Minister John Swinney says the NHS will be "at the heart" of his government's legislative plans for the coming year.

www.bbc.co.uk

 

[185143]

The alcohol ban is being replaced with something described as "more workable" too.

 

[Jan Mayen]

The alcohol ban is being replaced with something described as "more workable" too.

I'll drink to that...

 

[kkong]

The alcohol ban is being replaced with something described as "more workable" too.

The Programme for Government states:

ScotRail will continue to implement measures to address anti-social behaviour to protect staff and passengers, particularly unacceptable behaviour targeted at women and girls. This will include further deployment of Travel Safe teams. As part of this continuing programme, we will respond to the concerns of railway staff and others that the current general ScotRail alcohol ban - a last legacy of Covid restrictions - is counterproductive and ineffective and remove the ban on alcohol on trains. We will replace it with new regulations that focus restrictions more effectively on particular times and locations, similar to previous restrictions.

 

[marks87]

The alcohol ban is being replaced with something described as "more workable" too.

I assume it'll now be targeted services, like LNER designating the Friday 09:52 departure from Aberdeen alcohol-free as far as Newcastle.

Edit: yes, as per above.

 

[yorksrob]

Certainly excellent news about the peak fares.

It's time the Government in Westminster started looking along similar lines in England. Judging by the local election results, they could do with some popular policies.

As I've mentioned before, just getting rid of peak fares for Friday would be a boon for leisure travellers (if they're too squeamish to do it for the whole week).

 

[Bletchleyite]

As I've mentioned before, just getting rid of peak fares for Friday would be a boon for leisure travellers (if they're too squeamish to do it for the whole week).

Some of the IC operators e.g. Avanti already did.

 

[yorksrob]

Some of the IC operators e.g. Avanti already did.

GBR would be a good opportunity to extend this nationwide.

There seems little justification for Avanti having this, but not (for example) TPE, which is a wannabe IC operator.

 

[Starmill]

GBR would be a good opportunity to extend this nationwide.

There seems little justification for Avanti having this, but not (for example) TPE, which is a wannabe IC operator.

In a nice cruel twist, even Avanti West Coast don't just take off peak tickets all day on Fridays. Their Off Peak Return between Birmingham and Preston is not valid before 0900 and is not eased on Fridays.

The restriction information is such a joke though that if you did hold that ticket the train manager would likely be willing to give you permission to use it before 0900 on a Friday.

 

[jazza374]

Interesting to see what the peak fares decision means for flexipass and annual season tickets from 1st Sept.

 

[Peter Sarf]

Well the money will have to come from somewhere. Obviously there is a possibility that fares (that were off peak) will rise. It really depends how much income is at stake but it would make the shoulder off peak services more bearable.

 

[kkong]

Interesting to see what the peak fares decision means for flexipass and annual season tickets from 1st Sept.

Flexipass holders are currently benefitting from a 12-journeys-for-the-price-of-10 promotion since Sep 2024.

Season ticket holders are currently benefitting from a 20% discount since Sep 2024.

Perhaps both of these initiatives will come to an end on 31 Aug 2025...

 

[yorksrob]

In a nice cruel twist, even Avanti West Coast don't just take off peak tickets all day on Fridays. Their Off Peak Return between Birmingham and Preston is not valid before 0900 and is not eased on Fridays.

The restriction information is such a joke though that if you did hold that ticket the train manager would likely be willing to give you permission to use it before 0900 on a Friday.

What a peculiar traffic flow to carve out ! You couldn't really blame guards for not knowing about it.

It really shows where a nationwide approach could be of benefit (provided it is a beneficial policy for passengers).

I also wonder whether, after reintroducing "anytime" fares, the Scottish Government concluded that the extra revenue was too limited to be worth the rigmarole of applying it.

 

[jazza374]

Flexipass holders are currently benefitting from a 12-journeys-for-the-price-of-10 promotion since Sep 2024.

Season ticket holders are currently benefitting from a 20% discount since Sep 2024.

Perhaps both of these initiatives will come to an end on 31 Aug 2025...

From my station it’s £9.50 peak and £6.10 off peak return to Central. Flexipass is £38.80 for 12 anytime journeys. If they cut that back to 10 journeys for £38.80 nobody will buy them as 5 off peak returns is £30.50. I think Flexipass and seasons will become obsolete once peak fares are scrapped.

 

[Starmill]

Well the money will have to come from somewhere. Obviously there is a possibility that fares (that were off peak) will rise. It really depends how much income is at stake but it would make the shoulder off peak services more bearable.

There was a meaningful uplift in the trial period in volume. This meant that the additional subsidy money necessary to make up the deficit was very small, only around £40 million a year. In the context of the Holyrood budget this is pretty minimal and won't be that difficult to find.

If Mr Swinney would like a suggestion of course he could always look at abandoning the Cal Sleeper.

 

[yorksrob]

Flexipass holders are currently benefitting from a 12-journeys-for-the-price-of-10 promotion since Sep 2024.

Season ticket holders are currently benefitting from a 20% discount since Sep 2024.

Perhaps both of these initiatives will come to an end on 31 Aug 2025...

Surely such discounts are the whole point of having those fare types, or else no one would commit to buying them ?

 

[kkong]

Surely such discounts are the whole point of having those fare types, or else no one would commit to buying them ?

These two initiatives were brought in to soften the blow when the previous peak fares removal pilot ended.

 

[Starmill]

What a peculiar traffic flow to carve out ! You couldn't really blame guards for not knowing about it.

It really shows where a nationwide approach could be of benefit (provided it is a beneficial policy for passengers).

I also wonder whether, after reintroducing "anytime" fares, the Scottish Government concluded that the extra revenue was too limited to be worth the rigmarole of applying it.

There are several Avanti West Coast examples, I'm afraid. Penrith to Lancaster Off Peak Day Return is another example, not valid before 0930, not eased on Fridays.

 

[kkong]

From my station it’s £9.50 peak and £6.10 off peak return to Central. Flexipass is £38.80 for 12 anytime journeys. If they cut that back to 10 journeys for £38.80 nobody will buy them as 5 off peak returns is £30.50. I think Flexipass and seasons will become obsolete once peak fares are scrapped.

Don't you think it's more likely that the season and flexipass pricing will simply become based on the off-peak fares rather than the (former) peak fares?

 

[Starmill]

Don't you think it's more likely that the season and flexipass pricing will simply become based on the off-peak fares rather than the (former) peak fares?

That would presumably create more back office work by some margin. However I'm sure it's physically possible, of course.

 

[kkong]

That would presumably create more back office work by some margin. However I'm sure it's physically possible, of course.

When they had the peak fares removal pilot, they just reduced the Anytime prices to match the Off-Peak prices.

That would be one way of doing it.

 

[jazza374]

Don't you think it's more likely that the season and flexipass pricing will simply become based on the off-peak fares rather than the (former) peak fares?

Hope I’m wrong but I doubt it. Are they going to discount a 10 journeys flexipass by enough to make people want to buy one? Will the price be so low that they lose money on it? I think it might just be off peak returns each day that are available to buy on a daily basis.

 

[yorksrob]

These two initiatives were brought in to soften the blow when the previous peak fares removal pilot ended.

Thinking about it, seasons are on peak fares, so that makes sense.

There are several Avanti West Coast examples, I'm afraid. Penrith to Lancaster Off Peak Day Return is another example, not valid before 0930, not eased on Fridays.

Well, there's no point in having one system here and another three stops up the line. Well done to Scotland for introducing something properly.

 

[MrJeeves]

I wonder if certain Scottish rovers/rangers will have peak restrictions removed too...

 

[kkong]

I wonder if this will have any effect on the Club 50 scheme, which only offers discounts on Off-Peak tickets.

We will also have the issue with the likes of the Two Together Railcard which is not valid for use until 09:30 M-F despite there being no peak fare.

I wonder if certain Scottish rovers/rangers will have peak restrictions removed too...

They did during the pilot.

 

[hexagon789]

I wonder if this will have any effect on the Club 50 scheme, which only offers discounts on Off-Peak tickets.

We will also have the issue with the likes of the Two Together Railcard which is not valid for use until 09:30 M-F despite there being no peak fare.



They did during the pilot.

If its like the trial, railcards won't change as their restrictions are set nationally (GB wide).

Of course Transport Scotland could I suppose launch a Scotland Railcard with no time restrictions if they wisher, I imagine that would be within their purview.

 

[Starmill]

I wonder if certain Scottish rovers/rangers will have peak restrictions removed too...

They did last time. Also, ScotRail tacitly accepted all ranger/rover/off peak/super off peak tickets, including ones with cross-border validity, or flows within Scotland not set by ScotRail, at times when they weren't usually valid. Obviously they did not have their restriction data changed so customers booking online would have lost out.

When they had the peak fares removal pilot, they just reduced the Anytime prices to match the Off-Peak prices.

That would be one way of doing it.

There's not always a comparable product to reduce to in the case of season or flexipass.

 

[185143]

I wonder if certain Scottish rovers/rangers will have peak restrictions removed too...

They did last time.

That, and solely that, led to me doing an 8in15 Spirit of Scotland rover last Summer when I had two weeks off work. Contributed a few hundred pounds to the Scottish and Shetland economy that I wouldn't have done without the pilot.

 

[Bletchleyite]

What a peculiar traffic flow to carve out ! You couldn't really blame guards for not knowing about it.

I'd imagine cock-up rather than conspiracy, i.e. losing track of what restriction codes they have and missing one. Might even get fixed as a result of being raised here I guess!

What *is* conspiracy and slightly naughty is that the electronic restrictions on Avanti flows bar use on WMT services during the Friday morning peak (because they would undercut commuter Anytime fares) - however as the text restrictions don't mention this the tickets are still valid, they just wouldn't be sold selecting those trains. Mind you WMT (LM) have form for that with their Super Off Peaks being electronically barred from far more trains (where there are connections) than the textual restriction provides for.

When they had the peak fares removal pilot, they just reduced the Anytime prices to match the Off-Peak prices.

That would be one way of doing it.

I would expect that they'll reduce the Anytime fares to the Off Peak price and remove the Off Peak entirely. No point having the duplication they had during the trial (which was to make something else simpler due to it being temporary, I forget what).

Flexipasses are an interesting one. I'd question if there's any need for them with the Anytime being reduced to the Off Peak price, so I wonder if they might just get rid. Seasons probably worth keeping just for convenience even if they are just priced at 5 of the new Anytime Day Returns for a weekly.

 

[kkong]

I would expect that they'll reduce the Anytime fares to the Off Peak price and remove the Off Peak entirely. No point having the duplication they had during the trial (which was to make something else simpler due to it being temporary, I forget what).

That was the reason I wondered what they would do with their Club 50 membership, which only offers discounts on Off-Peak tickets (albeit there are regular flat-fare offers too).

I suspect the duplication during the pilot was to avoid deleting the Anytime fares entirely and having to recreate them when the pilot ended. Probably easier just to change the prices?