SCOTLAND’S Transport Minister Humza Yousaf has revealed he is working on a “viable” public sector bid to run the railways after widespread criticism of existing ScotRail operator Abellio.
He said the transport company’s performance had not been good enough as he urged unions and opposition parties to work with him to produce a public sector alternative.
Yousaf spoke out as performance data from ScotRail showed 86 per cent of trains arrived at their destination on time or were less than five minutes late from October 16 to November 12, although the most up-to-date annual figures put this at 89.8 per cent. The decrease in punctuality was revealed at the same time it was reported that Abellio ScotRail managing director Phil Verster’s basic annual wage had risen to £265,000 a year.
ScotRail was forced to produce a performance improvement plan in September, at the request of Transport Scotland, after punctuality and reliability fell below standard.
Yousaf said the contract could be cancelled in 2020 and contingency plans were in place for the Scottish government to take over train services earlier. ScotRail said it was working to implement a 246-point improvement plan.
He added: “I’m calling the unions this week, and indeed other political parties, to join with me in a discussion about how we make and put together a viable public sector bid, that will be viable, that will be competitive. That could be ready for 2020 when the break clause comes.”
Train drivers’ union Aslef has urged First Minister Nicola Sturgeon to sack Yousaf over the “rail crisis’’ in Scotland but he has insisted he will not be stepping down.
A train breakdown in Edinburgh on Thursday morning caused widespread disruption for commuters, with Sturgeon forced to apologise for this.
Labour transport spokesman Neil Bibby heaped more pressure on Yousaf, saying: “Passengers are fed up with the shoddy service they are receiving from ScotRail, which led to an improvement plan being submitted more than two months ago.
“Commuters will be astonished to discover that performance has plummeted since that improvement plan was presented.”
Meanwhile, Verster highlighted the “simultaneous challenges” ScotRail faces of building new electric lines and stations, replacing paper tickets with smart cards and introducing new trains, while also trying to improve punctuality.
ScotRail Alliance described Scotland’s railway as among the most punctual in the UK.
A spokeswoman said: “Our Performance Improvement Plan contains 246 individual actions to make things better, every single day.”
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