Can you imagine gow much more the Govt would need to do this in England, on top of the £2billion its costing already?

Fares south of Manchester have been many times those of fares north thereof for many, many years

That too - though I was looking at the ratios.   In absolute terms, for each Glasgow - Edinburgh return journey in the peak, there's going to be £13.40 less income.   If it was done on Melksham - Oxford, which is (I think) the nearest comparable distance I came up with, the income loss would be £40.30 ... which starts to explain why the scheme is cheaper in Scotland and fares there are already unfairly (red rag to bull?) cheap.

Experimental all-day lower fares a victim of financial crisis

It was a fantastic idea - but failed because the major change it sought to incentivise happened too slowly to escape the Scottish Government’s unprecedented spending squeeze.

Faced with a slower post-Covid return to commuting than the rest of Britain, along with hugely-ambitious emissions reduction targets, ministers hit upon an experimental suspension of the higher ScotRail fares during morning and afternoon peak hours.

It was aimed at encouraging people to switch from car to train, with the majority of ScotRail’s services now electrically hauled.

The six-month trial from October last year was extended twice, to a year, it give it more chance after a series of winter storms reduced travel. But nine months in, it has so far failed to persuade enough folk to make the change, and ended up primarily benefitting existing rail passengers.

A pilot scheme scrapping peak-time ScotRail fares will end next month following a "limited degree of success".

Transport Scotland said the trial - subsidised by the Scottish government - cost £40m but "did not achieve its aims" of encouraging more people to swap their cars for rail travel.

The scheme began in October last year and was extended past its initial six-month run. It will now come to an end on 27 September.

The trial saw the cost of a rush hour ticket between Edinburgh and Glasgow drop from £28.90 to £14.90. Post-pilot, the fare will increase to £31.40.

Those travelling between Inverness and Elgin also saw their fares drop from £22 to £14.40, while the ticket price between Glasgow and Stirling fell from £16.10 to £9.60.

Critics have branded the decision as a "hammer blow" to commuters and the climate.

Transport Secretary Fiona Hyslop said analysis showed the pilot primarily benefited existing train passengers and those with medium to higher incomes.

Peak fares are set to be scrapped ‘for good’ by ScotRail services in three weeks’ time.

The policy reversal announced by the Scottish Government in May this year will take effect on Monday September 1, with officials saying they aim to make train fares simpler, more flexible, and provide better value for money for rail users, as well as getting more people to leave the car at home and travel by rail instead.

Removing peak fares will mean significant savings for customers, with some journeys set to reduce by almost 50% as people pay the same fare no matter what time they travel, or the day of the week.

The price of a return ticket from Helensburgh Central to Glasgow, leaving before 9am, will fall from £14 to £8.90.

Peak fares were dropped in September 2023 but then reintroduced 12 months later, with Ministers saying it would have required a 10% increase in passenger numbers for the policy to be self-financing and they would only to reintroduce to if given more money by Westminster.

But today Cabinet Secretary for Transport Fiona Hyslop said: “Public ownership has created the opportunity to deliver a railway which is run for the benefit of the nation. ScotRail is one of the fastest growing operators, with one of the best passenger satisfaction rates and we are building even further on this success by removing peak fares for good.

“We want more people to choose to travel by public transport for work, study and leisure but we know that many are still struggling with cost-of-living pressures.