Peak price axe is our fare deal for workers

First Minister insists plan is affordable and says it'll get folk out of their cars and onto the trains

- BY NEIL POORAN

JOHN Swinney has said the £40million cost of scrapping peak rail fares in Scotland will be financially sustainable and will convince people to switch from cars to trains.

Peak rail fares were scrapped on Scotland’s train network yesterday.

The Scottish Government announced the move earlier this year after previously refusing to do so following a yearlong pilot, citing a lack of uptake.

The decision means commuters will pay less to travel in mornings or evenings, with the price of a return ticket between Glasgow and Edinburgh dropping from £32.60 in peak times to £16.80.

Last year, Swinney said that financial sustainability was the reason for the pilot scheme coming to an end.