The plans, which are now subject to sign-off from the industry, should mean that passengers will be able to travel end-to-end on the new Borders Railway for less than £10 and from 5.20am until almost 1am.
This announcement is the latest exciting milestone in the countdown to services starting next year for the first time in more than four decades.
Transport Scotland has designed its recommended fares structure for the services to ensure ticket prices are in line with those elsewhere on the network, with the average fare across the Borders Railway working out at just £3.50.
Passengers using the existing stations on the route – Newcraighall and Brunstane – will find their fares maintained at current levels.
There will be two trains per hour in each direction throughout peak times with an hourly service on Sundays in the timetable, which has been designed to also provide excellent connectivity to the rest of the Scottish rail network.
And the timetable will serve everyone from early birds to night hawks with a 5.20am service from Tweedbank arriving in Edinburgh at 6.15am, and the latest train on the line leaving Waverley station at 23.55 for a 00.52am arrival at Tweedbank.
Transport Minister Keith Brown said:
“The Borders Railway will serve a huge cross section of society from the daily commuter starting a new job in the capital to the tourist at the Edinburgh Festival wanting to visit the great Scottish countryside, to the Borders College student enjoying a night out in the city.
“Our fares structure and timetable will ensure that the train will be an attractive travel option for them, allowing them to go end-to-end in less than an hour and for under £10.
“When you take into account the further discounts available through season tickets and student railcards, this will make the fares even cheaper for those who will be travelling regularly on the line.
“Although we’re investing £350million to make the line happen, passengers won’t have to worry about it hitting them in the pocket as their fares will be in line with those of similar journeys elsewhere on the network.
“We’re also ensuring that the timetable will allow for early starts and late finishes. This will not be the traditional rural limited service. We are serious about shifting people from road to rail and the Borders Railway will offer every opportunity for that.”
Tom Curry, Vice Chairman for Campaign for Borders Rail said:
“Campaign for Borders Rail are delighted with the announcement of the fare structure for the Borders Railway.
“The fare structure coupled with the half-hourly timetable will make the railway competitive with bus and car and will no doubt encourage a great number of people to switch to using the train.
“The confirmation that the first service of the day from Tweedbank will make a connection with the 0625 Edinburgh to Kings Cross is a welcome bonus coming from the timetable consultation and will give Borders business folk a sustainable route to London.
“At the other end of the day late night services will also help make passengers’ days more flexible and will be particularly crucial when it comes to sporting events and the Edinburgh Festivals.”
Borders Railway Timetable Features
- The services will operate on a regular clock face departure every 30 minutes from Edinburgh to Tweedbank and from Tweedbank to Edinburgh.
- Departure times from Edinburgh are planned to be at 24 and 54 minutes past each hour. From Tweedbank they are planned to be at 28 and 58 minutes past each hour.
- The majority of end to end journeys will be achieved in 55 minutes or less. On some occasions this has not been possible due to conflicts with other operators services in and around Edinburgh.
- At peak times four services in the morning will continue through Edinburgh towards Fife , which will serve Haymarket , South Gyle and the proposed New station at Edinburgh Gateway where connections will be available for Edinburgh Airport with a similar arrangement in the evening for return journeys where four services from the Fife direction will continue through to Tweedbank.
- The first service from Tweedbank is at 05:20 during the week and will connect into the 06:25 East Coast service from Edinburgh arriving at London Kings Cross at 10:51 creating a total journey time from Tweedbank to London in around five ½ hours.
- First and last services as follows:
Weekdays
Saturdays
Sundays
From Edinburgh
From Tweedbank
From Edinburgh From Tweedbank From Edinburgh From Tweedbank First Last First Last First Last First Last First Last First Last 0544
2354
0520
2328
0555
2355
0530
2331
0911
2311
0845
2245
- Service frequency is hourly after 20:00 hours in the evening and on Sundays.
- Stow has an hourly service except during peak times when it is served ½ hourly.
- On arrival at Edinburgh the following connectional times are provided, 10 minutes being the minimum connectional time for transfer at Edinburgh:
- Towards Glasgow services within 20 minutes.
- Towards Dundee/Aberdeen services within 30 minutes.
- Towards Inverness/Perth services within 10 minutes.
- Towards Fife services within 20/25 minutes.
- Towards North Berwick services within 15 minutes.
- Towards Newcastle/York/London services within 20/30 minutes.
Anytime Single (consumer fares)
| 2014 prices | Tweedbank | Galashiels | Stow | Gorebridge | Newtongrange | Eskbank | Shawfair | Newcraighall | Brunstane | Waverley |
| Galashiels | £1.80 | |||||||||
| Stow | £3.20 | £1.80 | ||||||||
| Gorebridge | £5.90 | £5.30 | £2.80 | |||||||
| Newtongrange | £6.50 | £6.10 | £4.60 | £2.00 | ||||||
| Eskbank | £7.00 | £6.50 | £5.10 | £2.40 | £1.70 | |||||
| Shawfair | £7.20 | £6.90 | £5.70 | £3.00 | £2.20 | £1.50 | ||||
| Newcraighall | £8.30 | £7.90 | £6.40 | £3.80 | £3.10 | £2.60 | £1.10 | |||
| Brunstane | £8.80 | £8.30 | £6.90 | £4.30 | £3.50 | £3.10 | £2.00 | £1.30 | ||
| Waverley | £9.80 | £9.10 | £7.70 | £5.20 | £4.60 | £4.30 | £3.20 | £2.40 | £2.40 | |
| Haymarket | £9.80 | £9.10 | £7.70 | £5.20 | £4.60 | £4.30 | £3.20 | £2.40 | £2.40 | £2.10 |
The proposed price of Anytime Single tickets between each of the stations on the Borders route is set out in the table below.
Approximate values for discounted end-to-end fares (Waverley to Tweedbank)
Return and season tickets can offer discounts to passengers on the route. Please note that season ticket prices are neither set nor regulated by the Scottish Ministers, and so the fares below are indicative.
| Fare Type | Typical Reduction | Fare Anticipated |
|---|---|---|
| Anytime return | 20% | £15.70 |
| Off-peak return | One third reduction | £13.10 |
| Weekly season ticket | 7 days for the price of 4 | £62.80 |