Falkirk rail passengers to benefit as dates of all day off-peak fare trial confirmed

In a bid to encourage people to travel by rail instead of car, customers will be able to travel on ScotRail services all day on off-peak fares from Monday, October 2.

The Scottish Government-funded project will run until the end of March 2024 and will see passengers make massive savings. The trial will see fares on the main route between Edinburgh and Glasgow coming down from £28.90 return at peak times to £14.90.

The rail operator has said that from next week, September 18, customers will be able to check the ScotRail website or app to see off-peak fares for their route during the six month period.

The Covid-19 pandemic radically changed the commuter market with a significant drop in the number of people travelling during the traditional peak times – before 9am and between 4pm and 6.30pm. ScotRail says that market is only 70 per cent of what it was before the pandemic. It is expected that the trial will encourage more people to use services with cheaper fares early in the day attracting more people to consider travelling by rail.

The ambitious project, which is the first of its kind in the UK rail industry, will also 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.

Alex Hynes, Scotland’s Railway managing director, said: “This is a hugely exciting opportunity for Scotland’s Railway 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.

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