Finally! ScotRail back on track... but it’s still failing over key targets

SCOTLAND’S trains are finally improving – but they are still failing to meet targets.

New figures show that 93.2 per cent of ScotRail services arrived within five minutes of their advertised time in the four weeks to March 4.

The figure is 1.6 percentage points higher than both the previous four weeks and the same period last year. However, ScotRail is still failing to meet strict targets written into the franchise it was awarded by the Scottish Government.

SNP ministers said the new figures show that the improvement plan they published to deal with poor standards was working.

The advance was welcomed by passenger groups. Robert Samson, senior stakeholder manager at the consumer watchdog Transport Focus, said: ‘Passengers will be pleased to see the performance improvement plan (PIP) working and performance gradually improving.

‘The results so far are encouraging, with the ScotRail Alliance delivering improved punctuality. Improvement period by period must continue to reach the performance levels passengers want and expect.’

The latest figures show that ScotRail’s punctuality over the past 12 months has risen to 90.3 per cent. However, that is still below the annual target of 91.3 per cent written into the ScotRail franchise by Transport Scotland.

The improvement means ScotRail no longer needs to adhere to a strict improvement plan drawn up by ministers.

Over the course of the four weeks, ScotRail ran more than 59,000 train services – or 6.5million passenger journeys.

ScotRail Alliance operations director Perry Ramsey said: ‘This has been another period of improved performance for our customers. We are pleased that we have reached the point where we are no longer required to have a dedicated Performance Improvement Plan.

‘We will, however, continue to focus on delivering the best service to our customers, seeking to make improvements every

‘Best service to our customers’

single day. This is what our customers want and is our number one priority.

‘We have had a challenging year. We have been working to deliver one of the biggest upgrades to the rail network since it was built in Victorian times – while still running a full service. That work was necessary so that we could introduce new faster, longer, greener trains – giving people more seats and shorter journeys.

‘Those trains are now in Scotland and will be entering service this year. They are the first stage in our work to transform rail travel in our country. We are refurbishing stations across Scotland and will roll out even more queue-busting smart tickets later this year. Combined with our expansion of train services, this will allow us to make good on our promise to deliver a world-leading railway in Scotland.’

Transport Minister Humza Yousaf said: ‘These latest figures demonstrate clear evidence the Performance Improvement Plan is working and its contribution to lifting performance over the last few months should be acknowledged.

‘It is equally important to recognise the real efforts made by ScotRail staff.’