Abellio Offers £1M Free Tickets On First Day

The Dutch firm running Scotland's railways is outlining two flagship free travel schemes on the day it takes over.

Abellio launched the new ScotRail franchise at Stirling Station this morning.

The firm has emailed customers this morning offering £1million worth of off-peak tickets available from now until 14th June, with the exception of the last five days of the Easter holidays (15-20 April).

Jobseekers are also being promised free tickets to those attending up to two job interviews a month, with one month’s free travel on offer when they start work.

Also being promised is:

 - Brand new trains between Edinburgh and Glasgow offering faster journey times and more capacity

 - A fully refurbished, high quality intercity fleet worthy of serving the seven great cities of Scotland

 - The launch of the longest new domestic railway in the UK for over 100 years, Borders, with a wonderful celebration of steam services 

 - Exciting new fares starting at £5 for reservable journeys, and first class advance purchase fares from £10

 - A Scottish nationwide smartcard to serve an integrated transport network and make travel easier

 - The UK’s first national cycle/rail network, w 3,500 new parking spaces, cycle hubs and cycle hire at stations

 - A £1m community engagement programme and industry beating environmental performance

 - The start of a new relationship with Network Rail moving towards a strategic Alliance between the companies.

Commenting on the launch, Jeff Hoogesteger CEO of Abellio Group said:

"Abellio is proud to be serving Scotland and it is a privilege to be launching the new ScotRail from Stirling, at the heart of this magnificent country. Today begins a new 
chapter in the long story of Scotland’s railways. 

"As the new stewards of a vital part of Scotland’s society and economy, we understand the responsibility given to us and will work every day to earn the faith that has been shown in us."

Today’s launch was attended by the Minister for Transport, Derek Mackay, who commented:

"The ScotRail franchise is the single biggest contract let by the Scottish Government so it was important to us that the new operator could deliver not only a reliable and successful rail service for the country, but also that it would be an enabler for growth in our economy."