A temporary train fare cut designed to tempt travellers back on to Scotland’s nationalised railways has been branded a “watered down version” of a better deal being offered by privately run UK operators.

ScotRail said on Wednesday that customers would be offered half-price travel on off-peak services across the country on weekdays between May 9 and May 31. 

However, the deal will not be on offer at weekends, is timed to kick in after the May bank holiday and travellers will have only a seven-day window to book journeys.

The discount offer follows a similar initiative announced by the UK Government, which offers savings of up to 50 per cent on trains run under its franchisees, such as LNER and Avanti West Coast.

However, unlike the Scotrail offer, the deals will be available at weekends and its scope includes the May bank holiday. 

The UK offer will run for 33 days in total, almost double the 17 in Scotland for outbound trips.

Opposition parties questioned why ScotRail, which was nationalised by the SNP government at the start of this month, had failed to match the offer of UK operators.

Working families are unlikely to be able to make use of the deal for leisure travel, with no school or bank holidays scheduled while it is running.

No benefit for hard-pressed families

Graham Simpson, transport spokesman for the Scottish Tories, said that while any move to reduce fares was welcome the ScotRail offer was “a watered down version of the UK train ticket sale.”

“The sale window here is smaller and unlike the UK version it doesn’t include weekends, which means hard-pressed families can’t benefit from day trips,” he said.

“The fact that SNP-run ScotRail was forced into a pale imitation of a UK initiative does not augur well for the newly-nationalised rail network.

“We need permanently cheaper fares and an improved service to persuade more Scots to use Scotland’s trains.”

ScotRail claimed on Wednesday that the offer was designed for “days out” and “short breaks” despite it only being available on weekdays only. 

It also said it could be used in conjunction with another offer that promises cut-price travel for children, most of whom will be at school during the day.

Half-price ScotRail fares must all be booked online with the reduced tickets only available to buy between May 9 and 15.

The operator said that “massive savings” would be on offer with returns between Edinburgh and Glasgow costing £9.55 and a seat from Inverness to Aberdeen and back priced at £23.85.

‘A fantastic offer’

The initiative, which had originally been due to take place in January but was delayed because of the emergence of the omicron Covid strain, was announced the day after the UK Government unveiled its own rail sale.

It promised discounts on more than one million fares on services run by multiple operators. An off-peak single between London and Edinburgh is available from £22. The UK operators’ deal will run between April 25 and May 27.

Lesley Kane, ScotRail’s commercial director, insisted the deal was a “fantastic offer” and that attracting people back onto trains following the pandemic was an “absolute priority”.

“We hope this offer means more people can get out and enjoy Scotland throughout the month of May, whether for a day out or a holiday,” she said.

Jenny Gilruth, the SNP transport minister, attempted to claim credit for the offer. 

“This is one of the first commitments from the SNP Scottish Government since taking Scotrail into public hands and will encourage more people to use Scotland’s railways as we emerge from the pandemic,” she said.

‘Photo op for the First Minister’

Neil Bibby, Scottish Labour Transport spokesperson, said: “It is humiliating for the SNP that they are being outdone by this useless Tory government, but the truth is neither scheme goes far enough. 

“These pale imitations of Scottish Labour’s plans won’t do a thing to help many working men and women struggling to pay for rip-off rail fares at peak times and won’t let families take an affordable trip at the weekend. 

“We need to halve all fares for at least three months to give people a real helping hand during this growing crisis. 

“If public ownership is going to mean more than a photo op for the First Minister they have to start putting passengers first.”