SNP: We know better over ScotRail

PASSENGERS will get better value for money when ScotRail is nationalised, Michael Matheson has claimed, amid fears the move will be a ‘shambles’.

The Transport Secretary said the Scottish Government would ‘try our very best’ to keep any cost increases to a minimum and offer financial incentives for commuters.

Ministers announced a state takeover on Wednesday. Current operator Abellio will be replaced with an ‘armslength’ company when its franchise ends next March. It will be the first time Scotland’s trains have been run by the state since British Rail was privatised in 1993. Speaking to BBC Radio Scotland yesterday, Mr Matheson said of Abellio’s record in charge: ‘It’s been a mixed report, but one we did not believe lived up to what we set out in the original franchise agreement with them.’

He added that taxpayers would get better value for money under the new set-up, as it will cut out Abellio’s ‘considerable’ management costs. He added: ‘We’ll certainly try our very best to keep any cost increase to the lowest possible level.’

However, there are fears the move will see Scotland dragged back to the ‘madness’ of the 1970s. Tom Harris, a former Labour transport minister, said: ‘A lot of people calling for public ownership weren’t around back then. It was a shambles.’

Critics have also pointed to previous SNP transport fiascos. Ministers bought Prestwick Airport for £1 then had to prop it up with £40million of loans. They took control of the Ferguson Marine shipyard after a dispute with one of their quangos over two ferries led to the collapse of the yard’s owner. And the £1.3billion Queensferry Crossing was forced to shut when ice built up on its cables.