Scotland scraps peak rail fares - will the rest of the UK follow?

Why do we have peak times?

Could peak charges be scrapped in the rest of the UK?

Peak rail fares scrapped on ScotRail trains

Will Labour’s plan make train tickets cheaper?

Would it make ticket prices cheaper?

'I can't afford to travel during peak times'

While some passengers told the

The peak/off-peak system is designed to discourage passengers from getting on busier trains,

However, the pandemic working from home and rail usage has not yet returned to pre-Covid levels so peak travel times are less busy than they used to be.

David Ross, chief operating officer at ScotRail - which is owned

Unlike the Scottish system, English railways are run

Ticket prices are set

London North Eastern Railway (LNER), which is run

The DfT has not said whether or not it would try removing off-peak charges across the whole English network, but it has said it wants to reform the way tickets are priced as it nationalises the system.

"We know the current labyrinth of fares and prices can be confusing, which is why we want to make it easier for passengers to find the right ticket for their journey," a transport spokesperson said.

Meanwhile, Transport for Wales (TfW) and Translink operate the Welsh and Northern Irish railways and are run

The

ScotRail's move has reduced prices - an anytime day return ticket from Glasgow to Edinburgh has gone from £32.60 to £16.80.

ScotRail's Ross said this means "passenger journeys will increase and over time it will pay for itself", but rail experts are divided.

If passenger numbers remain the same ticket prices may need to go up overall to make up for the lost revenue, some have warned.

The other issue is what scrapping off-peak would mean for some already overcrowded routes.

"Clearly, the rush hour trains are already packed. And if you remove the disincentive to travel, it would mean more would want to travel on those trains," said Bruce Williamson from campaign group Railfuture.

As such, he said any removal of peak charges would need to come alongside investment in increasing capacity of the rail network - something which would cost the government money.

Elizabeth Wilson, 18, from Hull, is due to start a maths degree course at Newcastle University and believes ScotRail's initiative should be "standard across the whole of the country".

"There shouldn't be a difference in price just because of when you travel. At the end of the day you're doing the same journey, it shouldn't matter what time you do that journey."

Elizabeth says even with her 16-25 railcard "train fares are really expensive especially for students who don't have much money".

"I'm often having to wait until later so I can travel because I can't afford to travel during peak times," she adds.

She says the current cost of rail fares mean "you're almost forced to buy a car because it's much easier".

Kara Smith, 23, from Leeds, works at Selfridges in Manchester and says she mainly drives to work because the peak time commute was "very expensive".

"I used to see most of my wages going on train fares," she says.

"I'd use the train more often if the fares were cheaper as it's more convenient. But because of the prices it just makes more sense to drive."

Mariama Bundu is from Newport in south Wales says she tends to travel at peak times and found the price "ridiculous".

She spoke to the

"Sometimes, I have to travel in first class because it's difficult to get seats [in standard class during peak times]," she added.

Additional reporting