Scotrail Decision "Scandalous"

The UK's largest transport union says it's scandalous to give a Dutch publicly-owned firm the franchise to Scotland's rail services.

The Rail, Maritime and Transport union (RMT) says the move is wasted opportunity to bring the company back into the public's hands.

RMT General Secretary Mick Cash said: "It is scandalous that just a few weeks after the referendum, and promises from all quarters that the Scottish people would have an increased say in every aspect of their lives, that the continued privatisation of Scotland's railways has been bulldozed through with the SNP colluding with the political elite in Westminster to deny the opportunity for this franchise to be brought back into public ownership.

"There is no question that this whole franchising process could and should have been halted, pending the ratification of the post referendum devolution settlement, instead of rushing headlong into a deal that will deny the Scottish people ownership and control of their railways for many years to come. RMT has legal advice confirming that this process could have been suspended, leaving the responsibility for this fit up firmly in the court of the politicians who promised one thing and then delivered the same old profiteering business model. 

"Scotland could have taken control of its own railways, instead they have opted to go Dutch, meaning that profits will be sucked out of the system to underpin investment and fares in Holland. It is a disgraceful and shameful betrayal of the Scottish people and makes a mockery of promises made both before and immediately after the referendum vote. RMT will continue the fight for public ownership with every means at our disposal."

Jeff Hoogesteger, CEO of Abellio Group, said of the decision, "This is a huge day for Abellio and indeed the Netherlands which has such a rich history of commercial and cultural trade with Scotland. Abellio is delighted and incredibly excited to have been given this opportunity to manage Scotland's national rail network. For two years our team has been on a journey across Scotland and met people from the Borders, across the seven cities and to the very peak of the Far North Line so that we could prepare a plan that would meet and exceed the expectations of the Scottish Government.

"We look forward to delivering significant new benefits for passengers under the next franchise. Highlights will include new trains between Glasgow and Edinburgh, upgraded intercity services, better connectivity and journey times, innovative new fares, major station investments, a £1m community rail programme, and an employee gain share scheme."

Abellio's promises to "transform" rail services are:

• Free wifi on all carriages
• 80 new trains

• A minimum standard fare of £5 between any two Scottish cities, £7.50 for first class.

• A fully refurbished fleet of high speed trains by the end of 2018

• Delivering 10-15 new Scottish Community Rail Partnerships to stimulating volunteering, and to enhance the station adoption programme

• Specially refurbished trains to align seats with windows

• More luggage, cycle and ski storage

• A new transport integration programme focused on key interchanges including those with ferries, buses and airports

The Scottish Chambers of Commerce said the awarding of a new operator is an opportunity to further investement in the industry.

Liz Cameron, Director/Chief Executive of Scottish Chambers of Commerce, said:

"Scotland's rail services are a vital part of the connectivity that helps Scotland's economy to thrive. Throughout the past ten years, First Group, based in Aberdeen, have done a tremendous job in improving Scotland's rail services during a time of great change for the industry. They have shown vision and ambition for running a rail service that meets the needs of business and leisure users.

"Abellio come to the franchise with a strong track record in the industry, both within the UK and internationally. They will take over the franchise at a key time, with electrification works commencing in Central Scotland and a growing imperative to upgrade the quality of services for the thriving economies of the North and North East of Scotland. One of Abellio's early challenges will be to ensure that rail services in these vital areas are up to the job of serving some of Scotland's most important businesses."

Patrick Harvie, Green party co-convener said the move had "a certain irony" about it.
He said: "Abellio has certainly made a strong set of promises for improving services. There's huge public appetite for bringing rail back into public hands, and I think it's realistic to start preparing for a public sector bid in 2020 if those powers are in our hands by that point.

"Everyone who cares about making the rail network a fantastic public service should now raise their ambition for what we can achieve, and hold Abellio to its commitments on a living wage, trade union representation, reduced fares and better services."