ScotRail recorded its busiest December since public ownership began, with 7,866,187 passenger journeys made across Scotland’s Railway during December 2025.
The figure represents an increase of 701,910 journeys (+10%) compared to December 2024, when 7,164,277 journeys were recorded, and a 69% increase on December 2022, when 4,646,072 journeys were made.
The milestone follows a series of record-breaking days for passenger journeys in December, including the busiest Boxing Day under public ownership when 97,877 passenger journeys were recorded.
This reflects the strong demand for rail travel in the lead up to and over the Christmas period as customers travelled for work, shopping trips, Christmas parties, events, and to visit family and friends, as well as extra services added by the train operator.
To support the busy period, ScotRail operated longer trains and additional late-night services on key routes, providing thousands of extra seats and helping customers travel safely and sustainably during one of the busiest times of the year. The train operator also introduced services to and from Aberdeen for the first time on Boxing Day providing customers with more opportunities to travel.
ScotRail also had the best December period (7 December 2025 to 3 January 2026) since the transition to public ownership for the punctuality and reliability of its services, with 88.5% of trains meeting their punctuality target, up from 79.2% in 2022/23. The strong operational performance during a traditionally busy and challenging period helped give customers greater confidence in the reliability of rail services, supporting increased travel throughout the Christmas and New Year period.
The continued growth also builds on the permanent removal of peak fares across ScotRail services on 1 September 2025 – a first for rail travel anywhere in Britain – which simplified fares and delivered better value for customers. The change has helped encourage more people to choose rail by reducing the cost of many journeys by almost 50%, including services between Edinburgh and Glasgow.
ScotRail Chief Operating Officer David Ross said: “Recording our busiest December under public ownership is a significant milestone and shows how strongly customers continue to choose rail.
“The sustained growth we’ve seen throughout December, including multiple record-breaking days, reflects the hard work of our people right across the network in running longer trains, adding extra services, and supporting customers during a very busy period.
“With peak fares removed for good, rail offers a simple and affordable way to travel, whether it’s for work, leisure, shopping, or visiting friends and family.
“We’ll continue our focus on delivering the reliable services, value for money, and customer support people expect throughout 2026 and beyond.”
Image credit: Scotrail
