ScotRail launches 'Tap & Pay' ticketing across central Scotland

It's Sunday, 2 February 2025, which calls for another instalment of 'This Week of the Railway'. Last week was exceptionally busy, this week less so, but there are still a few headlines from across the industry. Let's get started.

Contactless ticketing for Scotland: Perhaps ScotRail heard the news about more stations in the South East getting tap-in tap-out ticketing starting 2 February 2025 — that's today — and wanted to get in on the action, because its 'Tap & Pay' app was launched more widely on Wednesday, with posts on X and a new page on their website.

I have included the map of supported journeys below. Validity is restricted to the central belt of Scotland at the moment, though it should be extended as the trial progresses.

It is not quite the same as other 'pay as you go' ticketing schemes, like the Oyster card for use in and around London, because the Tap & Pay app only makes use of the standard ticket types that could already be bought online and from ticket offices. E.g., anytime day singles and off-peak returns, among others.

What it does is record your journey and find the cheapest single ticket in retrospect. It generates a barcode to scan at the gateline at your origin and destination stations. If there isn't a place to scan at your destination, you can still your journey as having ended through the app. Remember to do just that, otherwise you could find yourself paying an incomplete journey fee of £25.

But there is not a cap on daily usage, nor does it account for cheaper fares that passengers might be able to find using split ticketing (this is something that the main ScotRail app does look for). So it is very possible that, by spending five minutes before travelling, you could find a cheaper fare. And you'll probably be able to download a mobile ticket with a barcode to use anyway.

I'm not sure why it's called Tap & Pay, because at no point do you tap anything in the same way you might with a smart card. It really is just a barcode connected to ScotRail's booking engine.

ScotRail fares rise from April: This is very much ScotRail's week, but it's not all good news (and even then, whether Tap & Pay is that good is up for debate anyway). Transport Scotland, the executive agency of the Scottish government responsible for setting fares across the ScotRail franchise, announced that ticket prices would increase by 3.8% in April.

The 20% discount on season tickets will remain in place until September this year, and 'flexipass' tickets will continue to be offered, both of which allow passengers to travel on the same route regularly for less than buying tickets for each journey would cost.

Last year, the increase was 8.7%, so it's a minor improvement, but will not be welcome news for frequent users of Scotland's railways. ScotRail is the main operator in the country, and is currently run by the government under an 'operator of last resort' model. It was taken over from Abellio in 2022.

Claire Baker, Scottish Labour's spokesperson for transport, was quick to describe the move as the 'latest blow for rail passengers'. '[It] further demonstrates the failure of the Scottish Government to provide a quality and affordable service,' she added.

However, it is worth pointing out that the Labour government in Westminster are hiking regulated fares elsewhere in Great Britain by 4.6% from next month. So, I'm not convinced she can claim that her party is doing much better than the SNP on this front.

"From 1 April 2025, all ScotRail fares will increase by 3.8%. We know that any increase is unwelcome for passengers, therefore we have kept the rise as low as possible to maintain the attractiveness and affordability of rail as a travel option.

"We continue to look at ways to encourage greater rail use and that is why we are continuing our 20 per cent discounts on season tickets until September 2025 as planned and expanding the availability of flexipass.

"ScotRail also continue to develop fares initiatives which can help attract more passengers, while offering savings and added value to existing rail users."

Fiona Hyslop, Cabinet Secretary for Transport

More movement at Network Rail: Following on from last week's announcement that Dave Hooper would be joining Network Rail as its managing director for the Southern division, Jamie Burles was confirmed as its deputy managing director for the Eastern division. He had worked with Greater Anglia for over a decade before moving to his new post with the non-departmental public body in charge of railway infrastructure.

"I am delighted to be appointed as the new deputy regional managing director. This region is a vital part of the network, connecting passengers across cities like Leeds, Sheffield, Derby, Norwich, Cambridge and London.

"It will also see transformational infrastructure investment over the coming years, such as the Midland Main Line Upgrade and the East Coast Digital Programme, linking people on a greener and more reliable railway.

"I am looking forward to working closely with our passengers, partners and colleagues to improve rail services and it is great to already see the excellent work being done across the region."

Jamie Burles

WCML record attempt: Last but not least, RAIL reported earlier this week that Avanti West Coast would try again to break the record for the journey between London and Glasgow. It stands at 03:52:40 and was set by the Advanced Passenger Train in 1984.

The last attempt took place in 2021, but Avanti could only set a time of 03:53:01, and narrowly missed the record by 21 seconds. One to watch, for sure.