Time to put trains back on the rails

SCOTLAND was once a land of railway pioneers.

It was home to locomotive works, produced famous engineers and built landmark bridges across the country.

But the railway network in 2021 has much less to celebrate.

Shabby stations, expensive tickets and cancelled services are the experience of the average passenger.

Lockdown has meant a temporary end to rush hour scenes at Glasgow Central and Edinburgh Waverley.

But there will be a time when most of us will need to use a train again.

So yesterday’s announcement that the ScotRail franchise will be brought back into public ownership should be celebrated.

Most major European countries would never dream of handing over their railways to private companies.

The Scottish Government can’t shoulder all the blame for ScotRail’s historic failings as it was the Tories who privatised British Rail in 1993.

Now is an opportunity to invest in ScotRail to make it a network we can all be proud of.

Fares should be pegged at an affordable rate to encourage more Scots to leave their cars at home.

New stations must be considered for the many towns that lost their rail links in the 60s.

But above all, the network must be made to run smoothly and efficiently – something that was too often not the case when Abellio was in charge.

It never made sense why a company owned by the Dutch state should be in charge of trains in Scotland.

Let’s hope this marks the start of a glorious new chapter in our long railway history.