Train ticket system must be simplified

Sir, – Dr Charlie Lynch’s letter (Letters, May 18) exemplifies one of the problems faced when trying to encourage travellers to use the railway rather than their car.

A quick look at ScotRail’s website for the cost of a return trip from Glasgow to Tain did indeed show a single fare of £72.

However, the system also shows the offer of a £78 offpeak return.

As railway campaigners, we are somewhat aware of the vagaries of the fares system and know that if Dr Lynch had been buying his tickets some time in advance, he could have travelled on the same train for £60.40 return.

Obviously, ScotRail uses its fares structure both to encourage early bookings and to stop the busiest trains becoming overcrowded.

Looked at it the other way, travellers are penalised if they don’t know that they can save money by early booking, or if they decide at the last minute to use the train.

If that is ScotRail’s policy, it needs to replace its very opaque and confusing rules with something every potential traveller can understand.

From the passenger’s point of view, it’s hard to see why the same journey can sometimes cost more than twice as much.

Transport Scotland has announced a “Fair Fares Review” to be carried out in 2022-23.

We hope this will address the problem and offer sensible solutions. Dr Lynch also rightly mentions the condition of Inverness Station. There are exciting plans to completely rebuild it, but this, of course, depends on funding being made available.

Ian Budd,

Friends of the Far North Line.