End of line for company in charge of country’s rail services.

Government ends Abellio’s franchise early after barrage of service complaints

The Dutch company responsible for running the country’s “beleaguered” rail services has been dropped early by the Scottish Government.

Abellio, the franchise operator of Scotrail, will now only run the nation’s trains until March 2022 after Transport Secretary Michael Matheson announced proposals not to continue the 2015 contract for the full 10 years.

Mr Matheson and his ministerial team decided the increase in public money requested by the company would not secure “commensurate benefits” to passengers, the public purse or the economy.

The Scottish Conservatives accused the government of “pulling the rug” from under Abellio’s feet, while the company said the decision caused “unnecessary uncertainty” for staff.

But Fife’s politicians – whose constituents have borne the brunt of cancelled trains, missed stations and numerous delays – welcomed the news.

Shirley-anne Somerville, SNP Cabinet secretary for social security and MSP for Dunfermline, said: “The standard of service which Scotrail has been providing recently has been unacceptable. People in Fife deserve better.

“As services have not improved, it’s absolutely right that the transport secretary has taken the decision.

“It’s time for us to change how Scotland’s railways are managed.”

Labour MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Claire Baker, said: “Fife commuters continue to endure outdated stock, delays, cancellations and overcrowding on a daily basis.

“With another price increase imminent, the level of service passengers are experiencing is simply unacceptable and must be addressed.”

However, Jamie Greene, Scottish Conservative transport minister, said the future of Scotland’s rail service is now uncertain.

“The SNP have pulled the rug from under the feet of the franchise holder, have no clue who will be running our railway post 2022 and have many questions to answer,” he said.

Kevin Lindsay, ASLEF union organiser, welcomed the announcement but said the government had missed an opportunity to nationalise the service.

“We are disappointed that the government has not grasped the real problem and simply taken this opportunity to bring Scotland’s railway back into public ownership,” he said.

Dominic Booth, Abellio UK managing director, said: “We are hugely disappointed by this decision and believe it’s the wrong choice for Scotland’s railway and its customers.

“Abellio has invested more than £475 million in new and upgraded trains, added 23% more seats for customers and created more than 500 extra jobs in Scotland since the start of the franchise in 2015 – the biggest investment in trains and stations in over 150 years.

“Our offer to Transport Scotland would have delivered an improved service for our customers at a reduced cost to the taxpayer.

“We will remain fully committed to running a safe and reliable service until the end of the contract in 2022.”

Every regular rail commuter in Scotland has a tale of woe to tell. Underinvestment over generations, poor management and a corporate attitude in which the customer came second have all been cited as factors in a network caught in a downward spiral.

While perceptions may have been worse than reality, when Dutch operator Abellio was awarded the contract to take over the running of rail services in Scotland it inherited a franchise with significant problems.

Abellio outlined plans for hundreds of millions of pounds of investment in new rolling stock, station upgrades and a laser-like focus on service.

But while new trains have been delivered, albeit with challenges, and timetables introduced, the improvements that passengers have craved have not been forthcoming.

Abellio’s own figures show more than half of all trains due to arrive or terminate at Dundee rail station last month were late. That is not uncommon around the country.

And for many, the experience of rail travel – with crowded carriages and poor on-board facilities – still falls way short of what is expected from a modern train operator.

That the Scottish Government has now decided to call time early on the Abellio Scotrail venture is no surprise.

But that in itself is not an answer to the problems faced by Scotland’s railways. The inherent problems remain and will need to be tackled head-on before real progress is made.

Picture: Getty Images. Abellio’s franchise to run Scotrail services is being cut short and will now end in 2022.