RAIL operator Abellio could be stripped of its contract if it fails to improve services.
The Dutch firm has been warned to up its game by Transport Minister Humza Yousaf, who said its £7 billion, 10-year contract could be terminated unless rail services improve.
The operator, which provides services on behalf of ScotRail, was given the ultimatum after passengers complained of suffering consistent delays, cancellations and overcrowding on many of its services.
The decade-long contract includes a clause that allows the agreement to be cancelled if 16 percent of trains are cancelled or more than five minutes late.
Mick Hogg, Scottish organiser of the Rail and Maritime Transport Union, confirmed the clause was included as part of the contract Abellio signed.
He said: “The agreement states that after year seven of the contract with Abellio Scotland, contracts could be ended. It was part of the contract that was signed and we are aware of that.”
Sunday services are particularly affected, union chiefs say, because they are not considered part of weekly working hours.
This has been borne out by long-suffering passengers who have been struggling to reach their destinations.
They claim the service has worsened since Abellio took over from previous operator First, with regular delays, staffing or ticketing issues.
“I had very few complaints when First ran the ScotRail service, but since Abellio took over I’ve totally lost confidence in the trains," said a regular Renfrewshire commuter.
“I’ve had delays and cancellations not mentioned on the ScotRail app, so I turn up at the station expecting to travel and run into problems. The delays are so frequent that I really begrudge paying my fare.”
Buying tickets has also been an issue for commuters.
Another passenger, who did not wish to be named, said: “Sometimes there’s no one at the station to sell in the morning, then the conductor either doesn’t show or has no change or even tells me they can’t take card payments because their machine is not working. Then there’s a queue of people at Glasgow Central stuck behind the barrier waiting to buy before they can get to work, university or wherever.
"This is Scotland’s national rail service and it’s not acceptable.”
Passengers competing in the Great Scottish Run complained about having to stand packed into a train doorway or in the aisles.
Another said: “They know thousands of people go to this event every year – there doesn’t seem to be any preparation. Why not add extra carriages? That train was completely packed and there’s no apology, no explanation, nothing.”
Abellio’s Sunday services are run by a skeleton staff who volunteer to work in exchange for overtime payments. Hogg claims this a huge issue that unions want to renegotiate, to ensure Sundays become part of the overall agreement.
“Sundays are not part of the working week so drivers and guards are very much relying on people volunteering for Sundays.
“What we aim to do is to enter into negotiations to explore it becoming part of the working week.”
Phil Verster, managing director of Abellio ScotRail, has warned services face years of chaos as the network is improved.
Yousaf said he did not find the performance level “acceptable at all” but that an improvement plan had been put in place.
He added: “Make no mistake about it: if that improvement is not forthcoming, there’s a reason why we have break clause in the contract.”
A ScotRail spokesman said: “We signed a franchise agreement with a strict performance regime and we will deliver on it.”
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