CANCELLATIONS, delays and replacement buses continued to plague passengers of Scotland’s railway yesterday – as ScotRail bosses promised their £18 million “remedial deal” would bring improvements.
ScotRail has been served with two remedial notices since December after standards plummeted, provoking widespread complaint from the travelling public.
Almost 2700 services were pulled due to a lack of staff between April 2018 and January this year.
In late 2018, an average of 50 shuttles were cancelled every day, with that disruption blamed on a lack of staff.
Problems with trains saw almost 3700 services in the first nine and a half months of the current financial year.
On Thursday Nicola Sturgeon said ScotRail was in the “last-chance saloon” as a result of “completely unacceptable” performance levels.
Yesterday bosses promised their seven-figure investment plan will bring “significant improvements”.
The plan includes hiring 55 drivers and 30 conductors by 2020, bringing in three additional classic high-speed trains and focusing more on fleet reliability.
In the hours around the announcement of the plan, passengers were being warned of disruption in the Lanark and Paisley areas, with travellers heading to Ayrshire and Inverclyde told to expect delays. Several rush hour services from Edinburgh to Fife were cancelled, with passengers advised to use buses instead.
Alex Hynes, ScotRail Alliance managing director, said: “Improving the service our customers receive is the priority for everyone at ScotRail.
“I am confident that this plan will deliver significant improvements.
“The funds we have invested in this plan is a demonstration of our commitment to delivering the service our customers expect and deserve.”
Transport Secretary Michael Matheson said: “I have instructed my officials to ensure robust measures are put in place to monitor progress very closely and I expect to see a continued upward trend of performance improvement.
“I will give an update on this at the Rural Economy and Connectivity Committee next week.
“I have also been clear that franchising in its current format doesn’t work and that is why I continue to push Scotland’s interests, including further devolution of rail powers, to the UK-wide Williams review.
“Rail must deliver a system of greater reliability for users – customers, businesses and stakeholders deserve this much.”
LibDem transport secretary Mike Rumbles urged Matheson to “stop making excuses” and his Labour counterpart Colin Smyth said: “Nicola Sturgeon said this week that Abellio was in the last chance saloon, but they have had more final warnings from the SNP than the Rolling Stones have had farewell tours.
“If the company were as good as running the railway as they are at running rings round SNP ministers then passengers would be getting a world-class service at rock-bottom prices.
“Instead we have overcrowded, overpriced trains that either run late or don’t run at all.”
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