01/09/17 - 17090107 - SCOTRAIL  PRINCESS STREET - EDINBURGH  Scotrail promote a 1 million pound give a way in Princess Street Gardens, Edinburgh.      (L to R): Fiona Nicol, Scotrail Managing Director Alex Hynes and Ivelin Bilcher.– 80 percent of £million giveaway tickets gone in 5 hours
– Customers snapped up tickets at a rate of 3 per second

Over 80 percent of ScotRail’s free off-peak tickets were snapped up within 5 hours of launching the Million Pound Giveaway.

At its peak, three tickets a second were being given away – amounting to over 10,000 per hour.

The free tickets were available on routes across the country, including journeys linking Scotland’s ‘seven cities’, as well as the scenic routes to Fort William and the Kyle of Lochalsh.

Rob Shorthouse, ScotRail Alliance Communications Director, said: “Our million pound ticket giveaway is proving to be hugely popular. Our website suppliers told us that the first hour of the giveaway was more like the first hour of Glastonbury tickets going on sale. It was just incredible.

“We are building the best railway that Scotland has ever had. We are just delighted that so many people have taken up our offer to have a day out in our beautiful country on us.”

Image: ScotRail Alliance managing director Alex Hynes promotes the Million Pound Giveaway with team members from Edinburgh Waverley. (Credit: ScotRail Alliance).