SCOTRAIL has been fined a total of £2.2 million over missed targets in the first half of 2018.
More than £1,061,000 of fines were issued to the train operator for the period covering April to June. This followed more than £1,180,000 of penalties for the previous three months.
A service quality report showed the operator met 15 out of 38 targets during the second quarter of the year but fell short in areas including toilets, train cleanliness and litter at stations.
Labour transport spokesman Colin Smyth said: “Passengers deserve better than this failing ScotRail franchise.
These fines are not worth the paper they are written on, with privately-run ScotRail funded by the taxpayer through subsidies in the first place.”
ScotRail said the money from penalties is reinvested into Scotland’s railways. Pointing to a fall in fines from the first to the second quarter of the year, David Lister, ScotRail Alliance sustainability and safety assurance director, said: “We know there is a lot of work still to be done but these figures confirm the progress ScotRail is making. The investment we are making – in new and refurbished trains, station facilities and our people – is part of our plan to build the best railway Scotland has ever had.”
A Transport Scotland spokeswoman said: “Action is already under way to address areas of concern outlined in the Squire [Service Quality Incentive Regime] report, resulting in some encouraging improvements. Some 140 extra staff are being recruited to address the issues which lead to ticket offices being closed when they should be open and to improve the availability of on-train staff. We expect to see further progress from ScotRail in the coming months.”
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