Off the rails

Abellio could lose the Scotrail franchise if a remedial plan does not improve performance, Transport Secretary Michael Matheson has told MSPS.

About time. Abellio don’t care about customers or service. That being said Scotrail staff don’t exactly represent themselves in a good light, constantly rude and dismissive when you try to get any information.

Stuart Shand Bring it back into public ownership.

Michael Shearsby

I nominate the sixth form of Castlebrae Community High in Edinburgh. I think they would do a better job.

Andrew Crosbie

The service has been more horrid than usual lately. The times I’m not delayed are the exceptions.

Charalampos Koundourakis

Somewhere, someone has a management plan which, using the same track, engines and carriages, and staff can satisfy the customers at a price they can afford.

Alastair Moir Strip them of their franchise, and replace them with what? Where would the money come from to pay for public ownership, and no doubt the compensation Arbellio would seek for ending the franchise early?

Sandra Stow

It’s paid for the exact same way it’s paid for now. Why pay a foreign company to run it when that money can be used to run it by ourselves. It’s not rocket science.

Jacqui Donald

Notice how they only mention their ridiculous service over the past month, as if things were going great before that. Just compare how the same company runs the service in the Netherlands. It’s preposterous that a country as developed as Scotland allows this standard of train service.

Christoforos Rozario The difference between state and private schools is more than just the amount of money spent per pupil – wholesale changes are required, according to retired teacher and columnist Cameron Wyllie.

I believe there are four key points. If parents are minded to spend their hardearned (taxed) income on private education while also reducing the financial pressure on the budget of the state system they should not be the subject of adverse and politically correct comment. No educational system can accommodate the continual, often retrogressive, change prevalent in Scotland. Irrespective how much money is spent on Scottish education there will be no overall improvement until an appropriate class discipline is enforced and teachers seeking to enforce discipline are supported by parents, head teachers, local authorities and politicians. The levelling down of pass results to achieve predetermined grade percentages must stop.

Tom King