Railways should be enjoyed, not endured

COMMUTERS who travel by train will know only too well the miserable standard of service provided by ScotRail.

Late-running trains, skipped stations and cancellations are all part of the daily grind for those who let the train add to their strain.

Given that ScotRail has a monopoly on local networks, there’s not much the customer can do to force improvements. If one needs to use a train, then grimly poor standards are the price one must pay.

There is another cost, of course. ScotRail fares are among the highest in Europe, with some passengers spending as much as a fifth of their wages just to get from home to work and back.

The Scottish Government may have awarded the contract to run ScotRail to the Dutch company Abellio but that does not mean ministers are powerless in this area.

The train operator must be left in no doubt whatsoever that, if services do not improve, its contract will not be renewed.

Ministers should go further and put pressure on Abellio to, at the very least, put an end to fare increases until the service is vastly improved.

Scotland’s success is dependent on a decent transport infrastructure. Currently, we are failing in this department.

There are rumblings from some politicians about the possibility that ScotRail might be brought back into public ownership.

Renationalising the railways would be a disaster, creating an organisation with little imperative to succeed run by a government with a dismal track record when it comes to making things work.

Instead of considering renationalisation, MSPs should start properly holding the operator to account. Future contracts must allow for severe penalties whenever services fall below agreed acceptable levels.

Winning the ScotRail contract provided Abellio with a huge opportunity. In return, it must provide a service to be enjoyed rather than endured.