Removal of peak train fare is a ticket to greener railways - Lorna Slater

​Lots of people who get the train to work every day will have had a pleasant surprise yesterday. Starting from this week the Scottish Government has removed peak rail fares as part of a six month trial, meaning that we will all pay the same rate regardless of when we travel.

Minister for Green Skills, Circular Economy and Biodiversity, Lorna Slater

It means that, for example, anyone travelling from Edinburgh to Glasgow at peak hours will now pay £14.90. That’s half of what it used to be.

There are families across Edinburgh who will save hundreds of pounds, thanks to the removal of the two-tier fare system that penalises people who have no choice about when they need to travel to work or study.

Every pound saved on a commute is money that can instead go towards heating, eating or any of the other expenses that are piling up as a result of the cost-of-living crisis, particularly during a cold and costly winter.

Travellers at Edinburgh's Waverley Station. Picture: Jane Barlow/PA Wire

As much as I love our city, I also love to get out of it and explore Scotland, and this will help to open up our country and encourage people to leave the car at home.

We can't hit our climate targets without boosting public transport and reducing the number of cars on the road. But that won't happen on its own, it needs all levels of government to do their bit.

One of the proudest achievements of devolution has been the introduction of free bus travel for everyone under 22. It's been a huge success with Over 77,000 young people in Edinburgh already taking 18 million free journeys.

The six-month Scotrail pilot will build on that success and will keep us on track as we reshape and rebuild our public transport.

The number of rail users is down on what it was before the pandemic. I hope initiatives like this can play a big role in normalising and in some cases reintroducing people to rail travel.

The best changes are ones that manage to put money in people's pockets while helping our communities and our environment. Removing peak rail fares does all three of these.

All of this is a far cry from a Tory government that is refusing to take any of these important steps and is instead revelling in its anti-climate credentials.

In the last few weeks alone they have shredded their environmental commitments, given permission for new climate wrecking oil fields and resorted to ridiculous and cynical scaremongering about a fictional war on drivers.

We will only ever have one environment. The things we do and the decisions we make today matter. They will have a big impact on our future, so we need to get them right.

We can have a brighter future and a better tomorrow. Cheaper, greener railways and public transport are a key part of that journey.