First Minister John Swinney has announced that rail fares in Scotland will be frozen for the 2026-27 financial year, a move funded by a £4.3 million investment that will vary based on demand. The announcement was made at Edinburgh Waverley Station on Thursday morning, ahead of the first parliamentary vote on the Scottish Government's Budget.
Typically, rail fares increase annually in April, with last year's rise set at 3.8%. Swinney stated that the freeze aims to ease cost-of-living pressures for commuters, adding to the earlier removal of peak-time fares in September 2024. 'We're looking for every step we can take to try to help people,' he told the Press Association.
The First Minister highlighted the combined savings from the fare freeze and peak-fare abolition, saying the government hopes to make rail travel 'a much more credible option' for Scots. He emphasised the policy strikes 'the right balance between investment in customers and their costs and investment in the rail network.'
When asked whether the timing of the announcement was influenced by the upcoming Holyrood election in May, Swinney declined to comment, stating he is 'always looking at what we can do to reduce the cost of living.' The Budget faces its first vote in the Scottish Parliament, with Scottish Labour having already announced it will abstain, effectively allowing the tax and spending plans to proceed without a formal coalition deal.
Swinney acknowledged the minority government's need for cross-party support, saying, 'We obviously have got to work with other parties, because the Government doesn’t have a majority.'
