Rail executive drafted in to troubleshoot Scotrail woes
Operator misses its performance target despite improvement plan
Scotrail has drafted in a former rail chief to improve punctuality after it failed to hit a target last month despite an improvement plan being in force for more than a year.
However, transport minister Humza Yousaf said he expected the fall in performance “to be addressed immediately”.
New figures showed 90.4 per cent of trains arrived within five minutes of schedule in the year to last Saturday, compared to a 90.8 per cent target.
That was set under a detailed performance improvement plan (PIP), which has been in force since being ordered by Mr Yousaf in September 2016 when punctuality fell below minimum acceptable levels.
That target was set lower than the originally agreed one, of 91.7 per cent, to make it more achievable. Former Transpennine Express managing director Nick Donovan has been brought in to carry out an independent review.
The Scotrail Alliance with Network Rail said his initial assessment was expected within weeks, followed by “concrete steps” next month.
Mr Yousaf said: “I completely understand the frustration of any passenger who has had their journey impacted by poor performance.
“Scotrail has faced a number of challenges, not least the impact of seasonal weather, which affects most UK operators. However, this on its own can’t and won’t be used as an excuse.
“It should be acknowledged the existing PIP had been working well, but the dip in performance since autumn must and will be addressed.
“I fully expect this recent downward trend to be addressed immediately.”
The alliance blamed poor performance over the last month on a “challenging” autumn and winter.
Punctuality in the four weeks to 6 January fell to 83.4 per cent compared to 89.7 per cent in the same period last year.
The figure for the year to 6 January increased from 90 per cent to 90.4 per cent, but this was not enough to meet its target, which is progressively raised each month.
The equivalent figure was 89.2 per cent when the PIP started. Last month was the first time since last May the target has been missed.
However, the alliance said the latest figures meant it was still the best performing large train operator in Britain. It is also eighth best of 23.
Alliance managing director Alex Hynes said: “Our customers deserve a better and more consistent service from us, and we are determined to deliver that.”
adalton@scotsman.com