When will Scotrail peak fares return? Train fare savings end date, why it's happening, what it means for travellers

That’s despite the move leading to more people traveling by rail and numerous calls for the scheme to be extended further.

Here’s everything you need to know - and what the changes could mean for you.

What was the ScotRail Peak Fare Removal Pilot?

The trial, funded by the Scottish Government, launched on October 2, 2023, and allowed train users to travel at any time of the day on off-peak tickets - rather than seeing fares soar during peak times, such as during the the morning and evening rush hour.

The aim was “to make public transport more accessible and affordable, and encourage people to ditch the car and travel by train”.

When will the pilot come to an end?

The trial was initially due to last for nine months but was extended to a year and will now come to an end on Friday, September 27.

What will the end of the scheme mean for rail passengers?

Those wishing to travel during peak times will now see a pretty large hike in prices. Rush hour tickets between Edinburgh and Glasgow, for example, dropped from £28.90 to £14.90. Post-pilot, the fare will increase to £31.40 - more than doubling overnight.

Other routes will also see a return to the pre-pilot pricing, or an increase. For example the scheme saw a ticket between Inverness and Elgin drop from £22 to £14.40, and a ticket between Glasgow and Stirling fall from £16.10 to £9.60.

Why are the fares even higher than they were before the pilot?

The reason that the fares haven’t simply reverted back to their pre-pilot level is that, during the scheme, Scotrail fares saw their highest increase in years - up 8.7 per cent in April.

Why is the pilot coming to an end?

The cost of the pilot to the Scottish Government over the 12 month period was around £40 million but it is claimed that it did not encourage enough people to switch to the train.

A statement from th Scottish Government explained: “The success of the pilot has been measured through the analysis...which uses daily patronage data (from April 2022 to start of July 2024) covering the period before and nine months of the pilot.

“This analysis shows that while there has been a limited increase in the number of passengers during the pilot, it did not achieve its aims of encouraging a significant modal shift from car to rail.

“In light of the financial challenges facing the Scottish Government and the level of additional and continuing subsidy that would be required to continue the pilot versus its contribution towards tackling climate change with modal shift from car and tackling child poverty which are key Scottish Government missions, the pilot will end on September 27, 2024.”

Cabinet Secretary for Transport, Fiona Hyslop said: “The pilot primarily benefitted existing train passengers and those with medium to higher incomes. Although passenger levels increased to a maximum of around 6.8 per cent, it would require a 10 per cent increase in passenger numbers for the policy to be self-financing.

“The pilot will have been welcome in saving many passengers hundreds and in some cases thousands of pounds during the cost of living crisis but this level of subsidy cannot continue in the current financial climate on that measure alone.”

Will there be any other savings introduced?

While the trial will be coming to an end, some other savings will be introduced.

Hyslop explained: “I am aware that a significant minority of people who cannot choose when they travel to and from work did and would benefit from lower priced rail travel – these are people who might find the return to peak fares challenging.

“I can therefore announce the introduction of a 12-month discount on all ScotRail season tickets and permanently amending the terms of flexipasses to allow for 12 single journeys for the price of 10, used within 60 days, equivalent to a 20 per cent discount for those who travel less frequently. “Super off-peak tickets will also be reintroduced. 

What has been the response to the trial coming to an end?

There have been calls to make the scheme permanent, with Trade unions Aslef, RMT, Unite, TSSA and the Scottish Trades Union Congress linking up with environmental organisations Stop Climate Chaos, Transform Scotland, Friends of the Earth Scotland and the Just Transition Partnership to pen a letter to Hyslop saying that restoring peak fares would be a “retrograde step that would send exactly the wrong message at the wrong time”, adding: "We urge you to do the right thing, scrap peak fares permanently to help Scotland meet its climate targets, grow the economy sustainably and help workers by ending this unfair tax on them."

Mike Robinson of Stop Climate Chaos Scotland said: "If we are serious about tackling the climate crisis, along with reducing inequality and improving health and wellbeing, it's a no-brainer that using public transport should be cheaper than driving. But over recent decades, public transport fares have risen while car use has become cheaper in real terms.”

The Scottish Greens have also called for the scheme to continue, with their transport spokesperson Mark Ruskell saying” "It is a hammer blow to the many workers all over Scotland who have to travel every day but have no say on when they need to be at work.

"Behavioural change doesn't happen overnight and by making the move permanent we could have encouraged more people to change the way they travel.

"This will pile extra costs on to people at a really difficult time. Every pound that's saved on travel is another pound that can go towards heating, eating or the many other expenses that have piled up for households and families all over Scotland."

Could there be rethink?

The Scottish government lost a vote calling on them to reverse its decision to end the scheme by 64 votes to 62 - but it does not bind the SNP to a u-turn.

MSP Alexander Burnett, the Conservative’s chief whip, urged First Minister John Swinney to “see the error of his way” and claimed he would be “both arrogant and foolish” to ignore the vote.

But, unless something changes pretty swiftly, the pilot will come to an end on schedule, with Hislop’s only concession being that: “The Scottish Government would be open to consider future subsidy to remove peak fares should UK budget allocations to the Scottish Government improve in future years.”