Share

cover art for September 14th - Abolishing peak-time rail tickets

Simon Calder's Independent Travel Podcast

September 14th - Abolishing peak-time rail tickets

Scotland is to abolish peak-time rail fares for a six-month trial.


The only “walk-up” fare for immediate purchase and travel will be the cheaper off-peak ticket.


Savings for rush-hour commuters will range from 20 to 48 per cent, with passengers between Edinburgh and Glasgow seeing the price almost halve, falling by £14 to £14.90. 


Could it happen in the rest of the UK?


This podcast is free, much like my weekly newsletter. Subscribe now to have it delivered every Friday.

More episodes

View all episodes

  • October 8th - Frozen trails: skiing Norway’s "little Antarctica"

    06:30|
    In this episode, Simon Calder chats with Annabel Grossman about her intense skiing journey through the isolated landscape of Fins, Norway. Known as “Little Antarctica,” this region tests even the most experienced explorers. Annabel reflects on her trek, led by polar explorer Wendy Searle, and shines a spotlight on the untold stories of women thriving in extreme adventure travel.This podcast is free, like the Independent Travel newsletter. Get it delivered every Friday to your inbox.
  • October 7th - The Great West Way prepares for Jane Austen's 250th anniversary

    06:46|
    The Great West Way is a marketing enterprise for the corridor from London to Bristol – taking in Stonehenge, Windsor Castle, Blenheim Palace, and the Roman Baths in Bath. Next year promises to be busy, with the 250th anniversary of the birth of Jane Austen. I heard more from Fiona Errington, head of marketing, and Florence Wallace, head of travel trade for the GWW.This podcast is free, like the Independent Travel newsletter. Get it delivered every Friday to your inbox.
  • October 4th - The best region to buy wine according to Jilly Goolden

    06:26|
    Ahead of the weekend, where's best to be a wine tourist around the globe? I'm talking to the doyenne of wine experts, Jilly Goolden – who has great things to say about English wine, and visiting vineyards in Sussex and the Cotswolds. But don't offer her a glass of prosecco ...This podcast is free, like the Independent Travel newsletter. Get it delivered every Friday to your inbox.
  • October 3rd - How Finnair is dealing with the closed Russian airspace

    05:14|
    Finnair is an intriguing airline. The national carrier of Finland carved a Nordic niche offering great connections through its Helsinki hub between western Europe, including London Heathrow and Manchester, and east Asia – thanks to a fast track across Siberia. The closure of Russian airspace means it has had to rethink its strategy. I've been talking to Turkka Kuusisto, the new chief executive of Finnair.This podcast is free, like the Independent Travel newsletter. Get it delivered every Friday to your inbox.
  • October 2nd - Is it possible to have a sustainable cruise ship?

    09:10|
    Cruise lines are often condemned for the environmental impact they have on the planet. But Ponant, the upmarket French small-ship expedition line, has a head of sustainability, Wassim Daoud, who is focused on cutting emissions – and the impact on nature and communities. He also talks about "training" tourists – we could do with more of that.
  • October 1st - How you end up eating KFC in a hotel in a Mallorca

    07:20|
    In a new feature, Travel Desk Tuesday, I talk to one of my excellent colleagues at The Independent about their recent journeys. First up: Natalie Wilson, who flew to Mallorca with some trepidation after a summer of writing about over tourism – but her worst experience was having to dine on KFC in her hotel room because all the restaurants had closed.Sign up for the Travel newsletter by The Independent, available here.
  • September 30th - A blockbuster exhibition at the British Museum

    06:00|
    I'm at the British Museum in London where a blockbuster exhibition called Silk Roads has just opened – exploring the tangle of connections that linked communities as far apart as Scotland, Ireland, Ethiopia and Japan, as well as the more familiar lands of China, and central Asia. My guest is the world's foremost expert on the Silk Roads, and guiding mind for the new exhibition, Professor Peter Frankopan.This podcast is free, like the Independent Travel newsletter. Get it delivered every Friday to your inbox.
  • September 27th - There was a strange message on the Network Rail landing page

    05:13|
    I'm at London Waterloo, home of Network Rail. But I am not using the public WiFi – the system has been taken down since the landing page was replaced by a strange message about terrorist acts in Europe. It appears this was not a hack, but the act of someone working for the company that provides the landing page. Hopefully the system will be up and running by the weekend. Meanwhile, if you are using on-train WiFi, you may struggle to connect with the podcast ...
  • September 26th - Should we have a frequent flyer levy?

    06:21|
    Anna Hughes, the distinguished director of FlightFree UK, has been telling me about how she believes a frequent-flyer levy could and should work to reduce the amount of flights we take.This podcast is free, like the Independent Travel newsletter. Get it delivered every Friday to your inbox.