Recent government budgets have not been happy affairs.
But deputy first minister John Swinney won some acclaim last December when he reached into his ministerial top hat and pulled out the potential end to peak train fares across Scotland.
His promise to make “rail travel more affordable and attractive to travellers” offered a ray of light amid an otherwise gloomy financial run down.
This was exactly the kind of progressive politics promised when the Scottish Government took control of the franchise from Abellio the previous April, rail watchers said.
But, as always, train passengers had to check the small print.
Uncertainty around peak fares pilot
Mr Swinney’s cabinet colleague Michael Matheson was the first to suggest things were not going to be completely straightforward.
Not all routes would take part in a forthcoming trial, the net zero secretary was reported as saying, and not all at the same time.
Travellers outside the central belt groaned. This was going to be another boon for the Glasgow to Edinburgh crowd, wasn’t it?
Not so, a member of Mr Matheson’s press team later clarified.
Although the official couldn’t give more details on exactly when rail travellers in Tayside and Fife might get to save, they would certainly get to do so.
The Transport Scotland spokesman said: “The removal of peak fares would apply to all routes in the course of a series of controlled trials over a six month period.
“Details of the timing of these controlled trials are currently being developed.”
£15m to investigate end to peak fares
What we do know is the Scottish Government has put £15m behind its Fair Fares Review. A six month long pilot will start at some point in the next financial year
So there appears to be miles of track to travel yet before Scotland’s high rail fares – especially given the climate emergency – move closure to the more modest means of the average traveller.
This tweet is hitting a nerve. A lot of people clearly frustrated with the cost of train fare in general. The pilot to scrap peak-fares (a @scottishgreens initiative I learned about after my tweet yesterday) can’t come soon enough @ScotRail
— Jilllorean (@jill_lorean) January 20, 2023
Let’s not forget. There are big savings to be made.
If peak fares ended on Monday, say, you could save almost £10 on a return from Dundee to Edinburgh Waverley.
The ticket price falling from an eye watering £39.50 to £30,70, according to the ScotRail ticketing website.
The same journey from Perth drops from £30.20 to only £19.00 for a same day return.
That would be more than welcome.
And for those that still commute regularly – maybe even life changing.
Conversation