Strained trains

I read the article on Scotrail (“Scotrail train shortage prompts Uk-wide search for stand-ins”, 30 March) with interest. One word missing, I believe, was ‘compensation’. As we know, train operating companies, of which Scotrail is one, have a system by which passengers are compensated if their train is sufficiently late.

Obviously there is a commercial incentive to ensure trains are not sufficiently late, and skipping stops, which speeds up the service, no doubt helps punctuality. One late train will have a knock-on effect, so you get five late trains and maybe five lots of compensation claims. Much better to miss a few stops.

As regards the shortage of rolling stock, readers will no doubt be aware that Scotrail hires its train-sets from rolling stock companies, which creates a financial incentive to run the service with as few train-sets as possible. I recall that Abellio has “previous” on this in relation to another franchise. Good old British Rail always had spare trains lying around in sidings, just for this sort of emergency.

But franchises aren’t only about money; they are also about quality. For example Abellio signed up to provide special trains on Scotland’s scenic routes, with refurbished rolling stock, and lunch boxes provided at strategic locations. Seriously. Let’s watch this space with interest. JOHN GORDON-WALKER Caiystane Drive, Edinburgh