Rail fares will be reduced by up to two-fifths on some journeys (41%) to tackle a decades-old anomaly that makes it cheaper to buy two tickets than a single fare, the Transport Minister has announced.

Over 1,500 "split ticketing" inconsistencies will end thanks to a £2.28 million grant from Transport Scotland.

It is said the move will ensure that end-to-end fares will be at least 50p cheaper than buying one ticket part of the way to a destination, and a second ticket to complete the journey.

Over a quarter of a million ScotRail journeys will be affected by the cut from May 19, around 0.3% of the 81 million journeys taken in Scotland last year.

Transport Minister Keith Brown said: "We have always been clear on our commitment to getting more people on Scotland's trains, and a major factor in that has been ensuring affordable and easily understood fare structures.

"It became apparent that due to historic pricing regimes in the franchise specification agreed by the previous administration in 2004, passengers had to navigate their way through a fares database to find the best deal.

"That's not what we want. We want a fares system which is quick and easy to use and which provides the cheapest fare possible. And that is what we and ScotRail are now delivering."

Dundee travellers see some of the biggest anomalies, causing locals to complain about a rail "Tay tax".

Fares from Dundee to Portlethen will be cut by £11.30 (41%), to Aberdeen by £9.40 (34%), to Edinburgh by £7 (30%) and to Stirling by £5 (27%).

While the new deal will end split-ticketing on more popular journeys, it may still be possible to find a cheaper deal by stringing together several legs of a journey, or splitting less common fares, a ScotRail spokesman said.

But some inconsistencies will remain in the Strathclyde area due to different off-peak restrictions, he said.

Steve Montgomery, managing director of ScotRail, said: "This is another example of us putting the customer first , by tackling the fare inconsistencies that are most prevalent in Scotland. Transport Scotland's welcome support means we have accelerated our efforts in this area, providing easier access to best-value rail fares."

The Scottish Government previously announced that peak fares will not rise above inflation and off-peak could be frozen if inflation stays below 3.5%, as part of the latest ScotRail franchise deal.