ScotRail’s initiative for a six-month trial of cheaper and simpler fares is set to be introduced from next Monday, 2 October.

The trial is being funded by the Scottish Government to encourage people to leave their cars at home and travel by rail instead. It will run until the end of March 2024 and provides for travel all day at off-peak fare prices.

ScotRail anticipates that some trains will become busier than normal, and will be monitoring services daily. Throughout the trial, ScotRail will provide customers information to allow them to make informed decisions about their journey.

To cope with the expected demand, extra carriages will be added to services between Edinburgh and Glasgow via Falkirk High, with every service having seven or eight carriages. Services between Lanarkshire and Dunbartonshire through Glasgow Queen Street Low Level and Glasgow Central Low Level will also have extra carriages added.

This is an ambitious project and is a first of its kind in the UK rail industry as the Scottish Government seeks ways to achieve net zero and provides a better opportunity for more people to use trains as their primary form of transport.

During the trial, customers will achieve massive savings throughout Scotland, with examples of typical fares including:

• Edinburgh – Glasgow via Falkirk High (was £28.90 now reduced to £14.90)
• Inverkeithing – Edinburgh (was £11.10 now reduced to £6.50)
• Perth – Dundee (was £14.40 now reduced to £9.90)
• Glasgow – Stirling (was £16.10 now reduced to £9.60)
• Inverurie – Aberdeen (was £11.10 now reduced to £8.90)
• Inverness – Elgin (was £22.00 now reduced to £14.40)

Some routes don’t have off-peak fares because the same fare applies at any time of the day. A as such, customers will not see any change to fares on those routes.

Off-peak fares for any route during the six-month period can be found on the ScotRail website at Off-Peak fares all day long | ScotRail, or its app, where there are also some helpful frequently asked question.

Alex Hynes, Scotland’s Railway Managing Director, said: “The off-peak all-day fares trial is almost upon us, and we are excited for it to start. We want to encourage more people across the country to choose rail travel instead of using the car.

“Everyone at ScotRail is working hard to make sure that this six-month trial will be a success, and we will be monitoring our services and stations daily to see where we have any significant increases in customer journeys.

“Some services may be busier than normal, so customers are advised to plan their journey using the ScotRail website, app, or social media channels.

“We know that cost and simplicity are critical factors for people when they choose how to travel, and we are looking forward to delivering this fantastic fare reduction for our customers.”