Peak fares in Scotland gone for good

1st September 2025

Customers travelling on ScotRail services (1 September), will pay the same fare no matter what time they travel as peak fares are scrapped for good.

In a first for rail travel anywhere in Britain, the Scottish Government policy is aiming to make train fares simpler, more flexible, and provide better value for money for rail users. A further aim of the change is to get more people to leave the car at home and travel by rail instead.

Removing peak fares will mean significant savings for customers across the country, with some journeys set to reduce by almost 50 per cent - including those between Edinburgh and Glasgow.

There are some routes where no off-peak fare exists because the same fare is already available at any time of the day, and as such, customers will not see any change in those areas.

Customers can check the ScotRail website, or the app, to see Off-Peak fares for their route, and get set for savings when peak fares are removed. The website also has a fare comparison tool that helps customers find the best ticket option for their travel needs Peak fares gone. For good. | ScotRail.

The significant change to the fare structure 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.

ScotRail was recently ranked as one of the best train operating companies for customer satisfaction. With an overall satisfaction of 91 per cent, ScotRail is performing better than all other large operators in Britain.

It has been a hugely successful summer for the operator, with more than 200,000 customers travelling on services to attend events across the country, including the Tall Ships Races in Aberdeen, music events at Hampden Park, the Edinburgh Festivals, and Oasis in concert at Murrayfield stadium.

Cabinet Secretary for Transport, Fiona Hyslop MSP said:

"Public ownership has created the opportunity to deliver a railway which is run for the benefit of the nation. ScotRail is one of the fastest growing operators, with one of the best passenger satisfaction rates and we are building even further on this success by removing peak fares for good.

"We want more people to choose to travel by public transport for work, study and leisure but we know that many are still struggling with cost-of-living pressures. By removing peak fares, we are making ticketing more simple and more straightforward while at the same time supporting a shift towards sustainable public transport, protecting the climate, and saving people money."

Joanne Maguire, ScotRail Managing Director, said:

“From tomorrow, peak fares are gone for good at ScotRail. This means that rail travel will be simpler, more flexible, and provide better value for money for our customers.

“This groundbreaking change to fares provides us with a significant opportunity to drive rail journeys, getting hundreds of thousands of people out of their cars and onto rail.

“ScotRail has one of the best consumer satisfaction rates in the UK, and we are excited at the opportunity that these better value fares provide us.

“For all of our customers who currently choose to travel with us, we thank you for choosing ScotRail.

And for new customers, we look forward to welcoming you onto our network."