ScotRail ticket prices to rise by nearly 4% as SNP minister admits 'unwelcome' increase
Rail fares across Scotland are to go up nearly 4 per cent by April this year, it has been confirmed.
Fiona Hyslop, Cabinet Secretary for Transport, said the 3.8 per cent increase on ScotRail fares is "unwelcome" but is needed in order to keep rail travel attractive and affordable.
SNP Ministers have agreed the fares after "lengthy consideration" to ensure rail services are sustainable in the longer term and that budgets align with the overall funding available.
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An experimental scheme, underwritten by the Scottish Government, saw peak-hours fares suspended with off-peak fares available all day to see if it encouraged the public to use train travel.
The trial saw the cost of a rush hour ticket between the capital and Glasgow nearly halved from £28.90 to £14.90. But the scheme was scrapped in September 2024 because it saw limited success, according to ministers.
After the scheme ended, the price of the top ticket on that route roee by 8.6% to £31.40.
Flexipass will continue to offer 12 single (6 return) journeys in a bid to make train travel cheaper for passengers. The availability of Flexipass has recently been expanded to include the following stations: Exhibition Centre (Glasgow), Anderston, Motherwell, High Street (Glasgow), Charing Cross (Glasgow), Perth, Stirling, and Bathgate.
Cabinet Secretary for Transport, Fiona Hyslop said: “From 1 April 2025, all ScotRail fares will increase by 3.8%. We know that any increase is unwelcome for passengers, therefore we have kept the rise as low as possible to maintain the attractiveness and affordability of rail as a travel option.
“We continue to look at ways to encourage greater rail use and that is why we are continuing our 20 per cent discounts on season tickets until September 2025 as planned and expanding the availability of flexipass.
“ScotRail also continue to develop fares initiatives which can help attract more passengers, while offering savings and added value to existing rail users.”
Scottish Labour Transport spokesperson Claire Baker said “This fare hike will hammer rail passengers and consign ScotRail to a spiral of decline.
“The SNP should be making rail more affordable but instead it has hit passengers with painful fare hikes time and time again. “This increase is bad for Scotland’s rail passengers, bad for our economy and bad for the environment.”
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