Scottish Parliament – Feb. 26, 2025 – 5

S6M-16572.1: As an amendment to motion S6M-16572 in the name of Mark Ruskell (Cheaper Rail Fares) insert at end “;

notes that the operation of ScotRail has cost £600 million more compared to when it was in private hands, and that rail fares also increased by 8.7% in the 2024-25 financial year;

calls on the Scottish Government to deliver value for money for taxpayers, which is a significant concern for rail users;

urges the Scottish Government to increase access to ScotRail by opening new railway stations, in areas such as Winchburgh, Cove and Newtonhill, and calls on the Scottish Government to consider how a nationalised rail service can provide for all people in Scotland.”

Original motion(S6M-16572): That the Parliament believes that rail fares in Scotland must be cheaper;

regrets the decision by the Scottish Government to end the off-peak all-day pilot in September 2024, despite an increase of passenger demand by 6.8% and an average 17% cost saving to passengers;

understands that expensive and complex ticketing deters passengers from choosing to travel by train;

acknowledges that, in order to fulfil the Scottish Government’s ambition of reducing car kilometres by 20% by 2030, rail services and public transport must be cheaper and more accessible, and calls, therefore, on the Scottish Government to reverse the 3.8% increase to rail fares coming into effect from 1 April 2025, to permanently remove peak-time rail fares, and to simplify public transport fares, through the introduction of integrated ticketing, as soon as possible.