Update 13.11.07

Inverness-Edinburgh NXEC (formerly GNER) service only:
Single £34, Saver Return £34.20 First Single £45.90, First Return £67
Apex Single fares £20 (railcard discount available), £16, £12, £10; £24 First (advance purchase-buy by 1800 previous day)
Inverness-Edinburgh all services:
via Aviemore:
First Open Return £73, First Single £46.70, Standard Open Return £49.90, Standard Single £36.40, Saver £45 (not before 0915 Mon-Fri), Supersaver £40.10 (not before 0915, not Fridays)
via Aberdeen: fares are higher
Inverness-Edinburgh First ScotRail only:
Value Advance 2 (return) £20, Value Advance 1 (return) £32.60 (advance purchase-buy by 1800 previous day)
NOTE: National Railcard Discounts apply to all tickets that are not advance purchase only (except the NXEC/GNER fare above)

The following were correct at 26.09.06

Flexifares (10 journey tickets)
are available on all services between Tain and Inverness.
Inverness-Beauly £7.50
Inverness-Muir £10.00
Inverness-Dingwall £14.50
Inverness- Alness/Invergordon £20.00
Inverness-Fearn/Tain £25.00

Weekly,monthly and annual tickets are also available- eg Inverness-Tain 7-day £22.40, monthly £86.00; Inverness-Beauly 7-day £7.40, monthly£28.40, annual £296

For frequent users from Ardgay through to Lairg a Helmsdale -Inverness 7-day ticket at £30.10 represents good value. Standard Day Returns to Inverness are priced at £14.40 from Lairg,Invershin and Culrain; £13.30 from Ardgay. The Highland Railcard gives a 50% discount on these fares.

Local residents only are able to purchase the Highland Railcard (£7.50) which entitles the holder to50% discount on North and West Highland fares. They are availablet to residents with the following postcodes: all IV except IV12,30,31,32,36; all KW; all HS; PH16, 17, 30-44, 49,50; FK 20,21; PA 20-38, 41-49, 60-78; G83.

From the south, Inverness-Kingussie/Aviemore is £9.30 Standard Day Return, £34.20 7-day and Carrbridge £7.50 Standard Day Return, £29.60 7-day.

Value Advance fares, book by 1800 the day before travel, are typically the same as the Standard Day Return fare can be used for return travel within one month. There is no Highland Railcard discount.

NEW Fares from 10/09/06

Headlines in the Press and Journal have focussed on the 9.9% increase in walk-on fares before 0915. This is a new development in Scotland, and means that a £43.10 Saver (SVR) may no longer be used from Inverness to Edinburgh, for example, on the 0645 or 0755 (GNER). A new ticket type has been created, the Standard Open Return (SOR), priced at £47.40. The intention is to reduce overcrowding in the morning peak.

A new advance purchase ticket has also been added- the Value Advance (VA). This must be bought by 1800 the day before travel and has a limited quota of seats available. This is priced at £31.30. The APEX (AX) ticket at £19.50 requiring booking 48 hours in advance of travel remains unchanged as do the Friends Fares, multi-journey Flexifares and Supersaver (SSR £38.40- not Fridays, and not before 0915 Mo-Thu).

Given that the 0920 and 1052 ex Inverness are busier trains than the 0645 it is to be hoped that there is a generous quota of Value Advance tickets available on the 0645.

Where VA replaces AX the booking deadline moves from 48 hours before travel to 1800 the day before.

NOTE: Savers, Super Advance and APEX to English/Welsh stations remain, with no time bar on the Saver.

Ticket availability was examined on sample journeys:

Inverness-Edinburgh
Inverness-Edinburgh old fares: AX £19.50 SVR £31.30 (GNER only) SSR £38.50 SOR £43 plus a range of GNER singles from £10

Inverness-Edinburgh new fares: AX £19.50 VA £32.70 SVR £32.70 (GNER only) SSR £38.40 SOR £47.40 plus a range of GNER singles from £9.50

Comment: Walk on goes up 9.9% Some GNER fares go down! AX may tend to be available after1740 return from Edinburgh. Glasgow quota on 1742 may be largely given over to Aberdeen journeys

Availability was checked on the First ScotRail website on 16 August for day return journeys to Edinburgh to be made on 22 August and 13 September, either side of the fares change date.

For 22 August the 0645 showed:
AX at £19.50 available southbound (though by 18/08/06 this was no longer available), but unavailable on the 1740 return
SSR £38.40 and SOR £43.10 both available returning at 1633 and 1740.

For 22 August the 0755 (GNER) showed:
SOR £43.10 and SSR £38.40 both available returning at 1633 and 1740.
SVR at £31.30 and valid on return by the 1740
as well as a range of GNER products from £10 single

For 13 September the 0645 showed:
AX at £19.50 unavailable for 1633 back (it's an FSR only product not valid on GNER) and unavailable for 1740 return
VA at £31.30 return at 1740
SVR available 0755/1633 back only
SOR £47.40 available returning at 1633 and 1740.

For 13 September the 0755 showed:
SVR at £32.70 back GNER
SOR £47.40 available returning at 1633 and 1740.
plus a range of GNER only singles from £9.50

I have omitted SOR any route (ie via Aberdeen, and First Class).
SSR is no longer available pre 0915

Inverness-Aberdeen

Inverness-Aberdeen fares to 09/09/06-SOR £31.40, CDR £21.60 available from 1044, SVR £31.40, AX £14.50(but missing from website as of 28/08/06)

Inverness-Aberdeen fares from 10/09/06-SOR £34.50, VA2 £22.80, VA1 £14.50- this replaces AX

SDR and CDR Inverness-Elgin remain unchanged

VA £19.90 is available Inverness-Inverurie

Comment: walk on fares up 10%, or 34% off peak day return

North Highland-Central Belt

Kyle-Edinburgh old fares: AX £26.50, SS £57.90, SOR £60.50
Kyle Edinburgh new fares: AX £26.50, VA £44, SOR £66.60

Comment: good news for Kyle and Wick to Central Scotland with VA which applies to intermediate stations unlike AX, but walk on up 9.9%

West Highland
WHL fares are unchanged. There are no VA fares. AX (valid to/from the termini), CDR and SOR continue

North Highland Internal
Inverness-Wick old fares: SDR £19 SOR £24.20

Inverness-Wick new fares: SDR £17.50 VA £17.60 SOR £24.20

Inverness-Kyle old fares: SDR £19 SVR £28.80

Inverness-Kyle new fares: SDR £16.50 VA £19 SOR £28.80

Comment: It is excellent to see SDRs decrease. One hopes these SDRs will remain all year round.

Others
Locally, some single fares have also risen, eg Kingussie-Inverness Standard Day Return (SDR) goes up from £8.50 to £9.30

The controversial Pitlochry-Perth SVR has been reduced from £12.90 to £9.90 following the removal of the £5.20 Cheap Day Return (CDR) and the £9.40 SDR in June 06. The VA is available at £7.50

If you find inaccuracies or anomalies please let me know.

Frank Roach

Previous update...29.05.06

Fare Deals

updated 29.05.06

Apex: Inverness-Edinburgh/Glasgow £19.50
Friends Fare 3/ 4 people £40 Inverness to Edinburgh/Glasgow return
Friends Fare 3/ 4 people £30 Inverness-Aberdeen return
Apex: Inverness-Aberdeen return £14.50
Apex: Wick/Thurso/Brora-Edinburgh/Glasgow return £26.50
Apex: Wick/Thurso-Aberdeen return £24.50
Apex: Dingwall-Aberdeen return £17.50
Apex: Dingwall-Edinburgh/Glasgow return £22.50
Inverness-Edinburgh return GNER only from £10.50 single
Inverness-London GNER only from £14.50 single
Inverness-London via Virgin West Coast from £22 single
Inverness-London overnight seated Standard £55 return, Apex £45
Apex: Mallaig-Glasgow return £26.50
Apex: Fort William-Glasgow return £22.50
Apex: Fort William-Edinburgh £29.50
Apex: Mallaig-Edinburgh return £34.50
10 Journey Flexipass between Inverness and Elgin £55, Forres £40, Nairn £25, Dingwall £14.50, Muir £10, Tain/Fearn £25, Beauly £7.50, Alness/Invergordon £20
10 Journey Flexipass Caledonian Sleeper London-Scotland £865