ScotRail has revealed that close to 8.5 million passenger journeys were made on its services in July, almost 900,000 more than during the same month in 2025.

The publicly-owned operator attributes the increase to a “packed summer of major events and great value fares”, which it argues have encouraged more people to travel by train.

8,423,512 journeys were made between 1 and 31 July 2026, compared with 7,526,153 in July 2025.

July this year saw Glasgow host the Commonwealth Games, while concerts and festivals took place at venues across the country, including Murrayfield Stadium in Edinburgh.

ScotRail provided more and longer trains during the Commonwealth Games, with more than 1,400 extra carriages taking spectators, volunteers and staff to and from Games venues around Glasgow.

In the last weekend of July, ScotRail recorded its busiest Sunday since returning to public ownership in April 2022.

This was followed by a record-breaking week in which passengers made more than 2.1 million journeys.

The operator removed peak fares a year ago, and has frozen its fares until March 2027.

ScotRail believes that this has made train travel an attractive option, especially with the ongoing high cost of fuel for motorists.

It’s fantastic to see almost 900,000 more journeys made with ScotRail this July, compared to the same month last year.

It’s been an incredibly busy time for Scotland, with the Commonwealth Games returning to Glasgow alongside a brilliant programme of concerts, festivals, and sporting events – and huge numbers of people chose the train to be a part of it.

The growth we’re seeing goes beyond major events. With the cost of driving remaining high, rail represents really good value for many journeys, particularly following the removal of peak fares and with fares frozen until March next year.

We know more people are making the switch from road to rail, and our job now is to make sure they have a good experience every time they travel with us.

We want those customers to keep choosing to travel by train long after the summer is over, and that means delivering a safe, reliable, and welcoming service that encourages them to make rail an essential part of their travel plans.

David Ross, ScotRail Chief Operating Officer