#ScotRail to introduce a “minimum fare”, where passengers have not bought a ticket before boarding, to tackle fare dodging.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cm21ydrp64xo

#Scotland #transport #trains

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 #ScotRail is to introduce a £10 minimum fare for passengers who deliberately board without buying a ticket, in a move to curb fare evasion estimated to cost Scotland’s #Railway more than £11 million a year. The charge, which will often exceed the standard fare for short trips, will apply after an education period from April to July 2026. There is no extra fee where the ticket price is above £10, but passengers must still buy before travel to access discounts. Exemptions include closed or absent ticket offices and machines, national entitlement card holders, #disabled customers unable to use ticket machines, and those paying cash who obtain a promise to pay. Since returning to public ownership in 2022, ScotRail says ticketless #travel has fallen from 8.8 to 3.7 per cent, with revenue protection generating around £2 million annually.
https://www.scotrail.co.uk/about-scotrail/news/scotrail-tackle-ticketless-travel-new-minimum-fare

#ScotRail fares will be frozen for the next 12 months as part of efforts to ease the cost of living, First Minister John Swinney has announced. The freeze applies to all tickets, including season tickets and Flexipass. It follows the permanent removal of peak fares across ScotRail services, which reduced some prices by up to 48%.

Speaking at #Edinburgh Waverley, Mr Swinney said the move aims to keep more money in people’s pockets as households continue to face rising food and energy bills.

#Transport Secretary Fiona Hyslop said the freeze would help maintain rail’s affordability and appeal. She said #Scotland became the only part of the #UK to scrap peak fares last year, describing it as the biggest rail fares reform in decades.
https://www.gov.scot/news/scotrail-fares-frozen-for-12-months/

The #Scottish #Government has accepted in full 11 recommendations aimed at strengthening safety and tackling antisocial behaviour on the rail network.

A report by the Rail Enforcement Powers Working Group, involving operators, trade unions and police, examined how existing powers are used and where they could be improved. It considered fixed penalty notices, repeat offending, protection for rail staff, youth justice and railway byelaws.

Measures already under way include replacing ScotRail’s blanket #alcohol ban with time-limited restrictions and progressing legislation to increase antisocial behaviour fines and widen the use of fixed penalty notices. Work will also look at consistent enforcement and closer partnership between #ScotRail, councils and police.

Longer-term options, including enhanced protections for rail workers and possible legislative changes, will now be assessed by officials.
https://www.transport.gov.scot/news/new-report-sets-out-actions-to-strengthen-safety-and-tackle-antisocial-behaviour-on-scotland-s-railway/

#ScotRail is encouraging applications for new apprenticeship vacancies in Inverness, aimed at young people across the Highlands. Opportunities include Engineering Maintenance (Multi-Skilled) apprenticeships at Inverness Depot and a Customer Service Modern Apprenticeship based in the city. The engineering programme lasts four years and combines college study with hands-on experience maintaining ScotRail’s train fleet, while the customer service apprenticeship runs for 12 months and focuses on station operations and customer support. Both roles start in August 2026, offer a starting salary of £23,006 a year and provide nationally recognised qualifications. Applications close on Sunday 15 February 2026, with further details available on ScotRail’s website.
https://www.scotrail.co.uk/about-scotrail/news/scotrail-encourages-applications-inverness-apprenticeship-vacancies

#ScotRail has been recognised as a #UK Top Employer for 2026, retaining the accreditation in recognition of its approach to people management and workplace standards. The certification, awarded by the Top #Employers Institute, reflects performance across areas including people strategy, working environment, learning and development, diversity and inclusion, and employee wellbeing. ScotRail has improved its score each year since 2024 and, for 2026, achieved a result six percentage points above the average for accredited organisations. The recognition reflects continued investment in training, wellbeing and career development. ScotRail employs more than 6,000 people across #Scotland in frontline and operational roles supporting rail services nationwide.
https://www.scotrail.co.uk/about-scotrail/news/scotrail-recognised-top-employer-2026

"Allow extra time for your journey" is a bit rich when the first rail replacement bus arrives two hours later than the first train in the timetable, and just barely in time for you to get where you need to be. The second bus is far too late. Really hope the first bus is on time...

(#GlasgowQueenStreet to #Croy on Sunday morning, if you're wondering)

#ScotRail #RailReplacementBus

#ScotRail recorded its busiest December since entering public ownership, with 7.87 million passenger journeys across Scotland’s #Railway in December 2025. This was a 10 per cent increase on December 2024 and 69 per cent higher than December 2022. Several daily records were broken during the month, including the busiest Boxing Day under public ownership, with almost 98,000 journeys. Demand was driven by #Christmas travel for work, shopping, events and visiting friends and family, supported by longer trains, extra late-night services and new Boxing Day services to and from #Aberdeen. ScotRail also achieved its best December performance for punctuality and reliability since public ownership, with 88.5 per cent of trains on time. Growth has been supported by the permanent removal of peak fares from September 2025, reducing costs and encouraging more people to travel by rail.
https://www.scotrail.co.uk/about-scotrail/news/scotrail-records-busiest-december-under-public-ownership

I'm reading this plan by scotrail to purchase some new trains and something sticks out at me. They're putting a bid for a company to "sell and deliver a new Suburban Fleet". They're also looking for a company to "purchase and own the new Suburban Fleet and then lease these to ScotRail".

Am I reading this right? Public money is being used to purchase trains, which are then going to be sold to a private owner, who will then rent the trains back to us, no doubt at a huge profit to them and cost to scotrail?

https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/071234-2025

#Scotland #ScotRail #trains

#ScotRail scheint ne #Starlink Test-Stellung laufen zu haben:
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/czr8746x8ymo

Oops #Scotrail #Scotland #news
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cr7lkdzg3gzo

#ScotRail has recorded its highest-ever number of daily passenger journeys under public ownership, with 353,846 trips made on Saturday 20 December. The figure beats the previous record of 345,216 set on 12 December and is the highest daily total since April 2022, highlighting strong festive demand.

Passengers travelled in large numbers for #Christmas events, shopping, nights out and visits to family and friends. To manage the seasonal rush, ScotRail has run longer trains and added late-night services on key routes, providing thousands of extra seats.

The growth follows the removal of peak fares on 1 September, a #Scottish Government initiative that has simplified pricing and cut the cost of many journeys by up to half, encouraging more people to switch from car to rail. ScotRail said the milestone reflects growing confidence in the network and sustained demand during the Christmas period.
https://www.scotrail.co.uk/about-scotrail/news/scotrail-sets-new-record-daily-passenger-journeys-under-public-ownership

The “see it, say it, sort it” announcement on the trains is really annoying. Especially as the bigger pause is between the first two terms. Surely you should say something as soon as possible, but it will take them time to sort it out.
Although it did remind me of the Ross Noble muffin face sketch https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=jtVG0BxsJpk
#minorAnnoyance #ScotRail #train #travel

Staff from across Scotland’s #Railway have donated 125 gifts to Age Scotland’s Big Gift Appeal, supporting older people who may feel lonely or isolated at #Christmas. The appeal aims to bring comfort and connection during the festive period, when Age Scotland estimates 64,000 older people have no one to exchange cards or gifts with, and 100,000 feel more isolated than at any other time of year. Gifts donated by #ScotRail and Network Rail colleagues will be distributed to older people supported by the charity across #Scotland. The initiative reflects the ongoing partnership between Scotland’s Railway and Age Scotland, which focuses on raising awareness of later-life loneliness while offering practical support through #fundraising, #volunteering and community action.
https://www.scotrail.co.uk/about-scotrail/news/generous-railway-staff-support-age-scotland-big-gift-appeal-2025

Nine in ten #ScotRail customers were satisfied with their journey, according to the first results of the new Rail Customer Experience Survey. Covering travel between 20 July and 11 October 2025, the survey shows overall satisfaction at 90 per cent, above the industry average of 88 per cent. Ratings are based on experiences at departure stations, onboard services and ticket purchase.

ScotRail also scored highly for punctuality and station information, both at 91 per cent, and for personal safety on trains at 90 per cent.

Launched in July, the survey replaces the National Rail Passenger Survey and more than doubles the sample size, with around 130,000 responses a year across #Britain. Updated every four weeks, it provides regular feedback to help guide service improvements. ScotRail said the results would inform daily operations and long-term planning, while the #Scottish Government said the operator continues to perform above the GB average.
https://www.scotrail.co.uk/about-scotrail/news/nine-out-of-ten-customers-satisfied-scotrail-new-rail-industry-survey

In the last 10 minutes we managed to cover just over 9km, and still ahead of schedule. High Speed #ScotRail

Hard take: First Class coaches on trains are louder than regular coaches. At least they are today!
#ScotRail

Stormy tonight - I am on the train home from Edinburgh after a work thing and then catching up with the kids. It’s been a stop-start journey and the guard just announced that a ‘dislodged branch’ had hit the train!! All good now he said, but he added we were to ‘expect more debris’ then he said it was ‘just a heads up’. First day on the job perhaps? #ScotRail #StormBram

#ScotRail is reminding customers of timetable improvements from Sunday, 14 December, aimed at enhancing services in #Glasgow and across #Scotland. New four-carriage electric class 380 #trains will replace most diesel trains between Glasgow Central and East Kilbride, marking a key step in rail decarbonisation. Peak-time services on the Glasgow Central–Newton, Neilston, and Cathcart Circle routes will gain additional carriages, while evening services between #Edinburgh Waverley and #Dunblane will run twice hourly. Adjusted services will also improve travel to North #Berwick, #Dunbar, #Tweedbank, and #Fife. ScotRail urges passengers to check journey times as some may have changed.
https://www.scotrail.co.uk/about-scotrail/news/scotrail-reminds-customers-december-timetable-improvements-2025