SCOTRAIL'S new discount club for over 50's is offering a year's free membership and £10 flat fares to passengers who join before the end of August.

Details of the scheme, which launches on September 14, have been revealed as the new operator Abellio bids to lure new members. It replaces the highly popular Club 55 scheme.

Anyone registering online before August 31 will receive their first year's membership for free, rising to £15 a year in future. As a special offer, they can book up to two return off-peak journeys anywhere on the ScotRail network for a flat fare of £10. It means that a couple or pair of friends travelling together, who were both members, can get two return train journeys around Scotland at a total cost of £40.

Some 17,000 people have already registered their interest online in Club 50 and they will also be invited to take advantage of the £10 deal.

Complimentary tea and coffee will also be offered to passengers using the Club 50 scheme on trains with on-board catering trolleys.

Many users of the previous Club 55 scheme were unhappy when it emerged earlier this year that it was to be scrapped under Abellio, amid fears that the replacement club offered poorer value.

Under First Group, Club 55 ran three times a year, typically for periods of two to three months at a time. The travel discounts were automatically available to anyone aged 55 with no membership or additional fee required.

It won praise for its ease of use and quickly became ScotRail's most popular deal.

Passengers aged 55 or over could turn up at any station, provide proof of age and buy a standard class off-peak fare between any two stations throughout Scotland for £19 return. They could also travel first-class for only £35 return, as long as the seat was booked by 6pm the day before.

Although Club 50 will operate all-year round, the maximum 20 per cent discount will only be available if members book tickets in advance online.

A lower "walk-up" discount of 10 per cent will be available for off-peak or advance fares purchased at the railway station or over the phone.

However, ScotRail said members of the new scheme will also benefit from occasional "exclusive rail offers" and special monthly deals on days out, including dining, hotel or short break offers and two-for-one entry to National Trust properties.

Nesta Gilliland, ScotRail’s Head of Marketing said: “The £10 deal shows we are serious about providing excellent value to Club 50 members right from the off. And we’ll have more one-off deals from time to time, on top of year-round discounts and partner promotions."

Members will be issued with a ScotRail Club 50 Smartcard when they sign up. Plans are in place to load tickets onto Smartcards from 2016, which will remove the need for members to carry separate tickets.

Susan Ross, 53, from Brightons, Falkirk, is among the new members.

She said: “This is the first time I’ve qualified for discounted travel, so it’s good news for me. My mum lives in Galashiels so we can both use the new Borders railway to visit each other, and save money in the process.”

Betty Hazelton, 58, from Glasgow, added: “I visit my daughter in Aberdeen up to eight times a year, so a year-round discount really appeals to me, The free refreshments are a nice touch too. I am looking forward to hearing about other member-only deals.”