New rail boss to earn £18k more than the last one!
SCOTRAIL’S new boss is to be paid even more than his predecessor.
Alex Hynes was yesterday named new managing director of ScotRail Alliance – on a £255,000 basic salary which could rise to more than £380,000 with bonuses.
His basic pay is 7.3 per cent higher than the £237,500 given to Phil Verster when he took the job 20 months ago.
Mr Hynes’ appointment came only days after Mr Verster announced his shock decision to stand down following months of severe criticism of ScotRail’s performance.
He has previously held the same role at Northern Rail, which operates services across the North of England. Its trains are late even more regularly than ScotRail’s.
The salary offered to the new ScotRail
‘Absolutely shocking’
Alliance boss last night came under fire from union leaders.
Mick Hogg, RMT regional organiser for Scotland, said: ‘It is absolutely shocking that the fat cat policies continue. We thought Phil Verster’s salary and benefits were outrageous but it is even worse they are continuing this. They don’t seem to listen to anyone.
‘My members will be outraged with this decision for a managing director to receive this level of salary, never mind the bonuses. This provides all the more reason to ensure our railways are returned to the people of Scotland.
‘We cannot sit back and allow these outrageous fat cat salaries to people who do not justify them. The people at the coalface receive a tiny fraction in comparison.’
Mr Verster, 53, announced his decision to quit on Friday – to take control of Network Rail’s East West Rail project between Oxford and Cambridge.
He started at ScotRail in May 2015 after being offered a £237,500 salary, which recently rose to between £260,000 and £264,999.
Following Mr Hynes’ appointment yesterday, Network Rail confirmed he will receive a £255,000 basic salary. Like Mr Verster, he will be entitled to performance-related bonuses worth up to 50 per cent of his salary, potentially taking his annual earnings to £382,500.
He will join later in the year, following three-and-a-half years as managing director at Northern.
The change comes at a time of unprecedented pressure on ScotRail, following a severe slump in performance since Dutch operator Abellio took over the franchise in April 2015. It has failed to achieve performance targets in any month since – and Transport Minister Humza Yousaf has warned it could have its contract terminated if its performance declines further.
Scottish Labour transport spokesman Neil Bibby said: ‘The relationship between ScotRail and the SNP appears to be at breaking point, so Mr Hynes will have a lot of work to do. Passengers are fed up with delayed, overcrowded and cancelled trains. ScotRail’s performance simply isn’t good enough.’
Scottish Lib Dem transport spokesman Mike Rumbles said: ‘The Transport Minister and the new managing director need to act quickly to fix the recent poor performance of ScotRail, which has brought misery to thousands of passengers.’
But Network Rail figures show the performance of Northern under Mr Hynes is even worse than ScotRail’s. In the four weeks to December 10, 82.1 per cent of Northern trains were on time or delayed by no more than five minutes, compared to 83.7 per cent at ScotRail.
Mr Hynes said: ‘I am delighted to have been appointed to lead the ScotRail Alliance. It is delivering one of the largest programmes of investment, change and modernisation since the railway was built. To be part of that is hugely exciting for me.’
Abellio UK managing director Dominic Booth said: ‘Alex has a proven track record delivering rail improvement and investment programmes and is the ideal replacement.’