ScotRail launched the new ScotRail app and website for ticket bookings on July 30, and from Thursday all new ticket purchases must go through them. The change replaces the booking platform supplied by Trainline. Passengers with pre-bought tickets need to act before the switch.
ScotRail New Official App rules
Anyone buying a fresh ticket will now have to use the ScotRail New Official App or the website linked to it. That removes the old route through the previous booking system and puts the purchase step inside ScotRail’s own channels. For regular passengers, the practical change is simple: the next ticket buy cannot be completed in the old app once Thursday arrives.
Accounts will move to the new supplier, but not every detail will follow automatically. Customers will need to reset their password using the forgotten password option the first time they log in to the new app or website. ScotRail said up to three months of booking history will transfer with limited details. That gives passengers a record of recent purchases, but not a full archive.
Trainline booking switch and tickets
Pre-bought tickets cannot be transferred, so passengers were urged to download them before the switch-over. The older app will still work for travel with those tickets until October 21. After that, the withdrawn app stops being a back-up for old journeys.
Saved payment cards will not transfer to the new platform for legal reasons. PayPal, Google Pay and Apple Pay will continue to be available. That leaves cardholders with one more step at the first purchase, while digital wallet users keep a familiar checkout path.
Smartcard loading is the main gap left by the switch. Passengers will temporarily be unable to load tickets onto Smartcards through the app or website. Tickets can still be added at ticket offices, vending machines or onboard where available, which gives travelers a workaround while the digital route is paused.
The timing matters because ScotRail moved only weeks after introducing a new £10 minimum fare for ticketless passengers on July 1. The new app now sits at the center of that wider ticketing reset, and the unresolved question is when Smartcard loading will return through the new app or website.
