Overview | |||
---|---|---|---|
Franchise(s) | ScotRail | ||
Main region(s) | Scotland | ||
Other region(s) | Cumbria | ||
Stations operated | 354 [1] | ||
Parent company | Abellio | ||
Reporting mark | SR | ||
Dates of operation | 1 April 2015–31 March 2022 | ||
Predecessor | First ScotRail | ||
Successor | ScotRail | ||
Other | |||
Website | www | ||
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Abellio ScotRail, [2] operating services under the name ScotRail, was the national train operating company of Scotland. A subsidiary of the Netherlands-based transport conglomerate Abellio, it operated the ScotRail franchise between 1 April 2015 and 31 March 2022.
In October 2014, Abellio was selected by Transport Scotland to take over the franchise from the incumbent operator First ScotRail. On 1 April 2015, Abellio ScotRail commenced operations. On 6 September 2015, it ran the first services on the newly-opened Borders Railway. In conjunction with the wider Edinburgh to Glasgow Improvement Programme, Abellio ScotRail introduced the Class 385 electric trains, which were faster and had more capacity than preceding diesel traction on the route; however, short-term difficulties with the new fleet led to disruption and delays. The operator was also unable to introduce its new Intercity timetable due to the late than planned delivery of refurbished Inter7City trains. Following the completion of the Inverness - Aberdeen Improvement Plan, a new hourly service was launched by Abellio ScotRail between these two cities.
During January 2017, the Scottish government and Abellio ScotRail's management publicly disagreed over the funding of a government-directed scheme; Phil Verster, the managing director of Abellio ScotRail and the ScotRail alliance, resigned shortly thereafter. On multiple occasions through the franchise period, the National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers (RMT) organised industrial action, including strikes, that negatively impacted Abellio ScotRail's operations, to the point where Sunday operations were mostly abandoned over a seven month period in 2021. On 20 January 2017, the managing director of Abellio ScotRail and the ScotRail alliance parted ways with the company. During December 2019, it was announced by the Scottish government that Abellio ScotRail's franchise would end in 2022 due to alleged poor performance. The franchise ended on 31 March 2022 and was replaced by ScotRail, an operator of last resort (OLR) owned by the Scottish Government.
In November 2013, Transport Scotland announced that Abellio, Arriva, FirstGroup, MTR Corporation and National Express had been shortlisted to bid for the new ScotRail franchise. [3] In October 2014, the franchise was awarded to Abellio. [4] [5] [6] The franchise was set to operate for a seven year period, although provisions were included for a three-year extension contingent on the operator fulfilling various performance criteria. [5] On 1 April 2015, Abellio began operating the ScotRail franchise.
On 6 September 2015, Abellio ScotRail opened the Borders Railway, a non-electrified largely single-track line roughly following the alignment of the northern part of the long-closed Waverley Route. [7] [8] During its first month of operations, 125,971 passengers travelled on the Borders Railway, far in excess of projections. As a result of overcrowding, Abellio ScotRail quickly started running trains with up to six carriages at peak hours and leased additional parking space near Tweedbank station. [9]
In June 2016, the National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers (RMT) announced that train conductors would be going on strike several times during the summer months in protest at the running of greater numbers of driver-only operated trains. [10] During June and July 2016, a total of six 24-hour and three 48-hour strikes were conducted by staff working for Abellio ScotRail. An agreement was reached in September 2016 that brought an end to the dispute and therefore service disruption. It was agreed that the new Class 385 trains would have the doors controlled by both the driver and the conductors, the driver opening the doors while the conductors closing them. [11]
During January 2017, the Scottish government and Abellio ScotRail's management clashed over a government-directed scheme to compensate rail passengers for disruptions on the rail network with free tickets; funding for the scheme had not been agreed before the government publicly spoke on the effort leading to tense talks between management and MSPs. [12] That same month, Phil Verster, the managing director of Abellio ScotRail and the ScotRail alliance, abruptly stepped down from his role shortly following the compensation scheme dispute being publicised. [13] [14] Several days later, Alex Hynes was named as the company's new managing director. [15]
In April 2018, Abellio ScotRail announced that it would be implementing all 20 recommendations produced by an independent review of the company's operations, headed by the former TransPennine Express managing director Nick Donovan. These recommendations included reviews of managerial and operational planning arrangements, root cause analysis of infrastructure failures, greater use of remote monitoring, clarifying responsibilities for key systems such as GSM radios, better performance modelling, ring-fencing of planning resources, elimination of unnecessary key performance indicators, and a new focus on system performance improvements at the control room level. A stated intent of these recommendations was to bolster punctuality amongst other performance criteria. [16]
During March 2021, it was announced that the RMT union would ballot conductors for an indefinite overtime ban following Abellio ScotRail's refusal to pay its conductors overtime payments for working on rest days; this action led to no services being run on many routes. One month later, ticket examiners were balloted for the same dispute, the majority of trains operated by ScotRail did not run on Sundays as a result. During October 2021, a deal between the union and the operator was reached, bringing an end to the dispute and restoring Sunday services thereafter. [17]
Abellio ScotRail reportedly failed to meet the performance criteria necessary to gain a three-year extension to its franchise period; according, it was announced during March 2021 that the franchise would be terminated on 31 March 2022. [18] In Abellio's place, the state-owned operator of last resort ScotRail took over operations. [19] [20]
Abellio ScotRail took over all of the services operated by First ScotRail on 1 April 2015, except for the Caledonian Sleeper services, which were transferred to a separate franchise operated by Serco. [21] The franchise agreement required the introduction of 'Great Scottish Scenic Railway' trains on the West Highland, Far North, Kyle, Borders Railway and Glasgow South Western lines. Steam special services were also promoted by Abellio ScotRail. [22] [23]
The planned implementation of Abellio ScotRail's new Intercity timetable had to be postponed due to the delayed delivery of ScotRail's refurbished Inter7City trains, along with the introduction of the Edinburgh - Arbroath and Montrose - Inverurie commuter services. As a result, the stopping pattern of Glasgow/Edinburgh to Aberdeen services was irregular, making calls at many stations at which there is now a frequent stopping service. The improved Glasgow/Edinburgh to Inverness timetable will be introduced along with the Glasgow/Edinburgh to Aberdeen timetable from December 2020.[ citation needed ]
Following the completion of the Inverness - Aberdeen Improvement Plan, an hourly service was operated by the company between the two cities; furthermore, half hourly services were provided between Elgin and Inverness/Inverurie and Aberdeen that served the two recently-opened stations at Dalcross and Kintore. A selection of Inter7City services also commenced operation between Inverness and the Central Belt via Aberdeen, which only called at a couple of stations between Inverness and Aberdeen.[ citation needed ]
Abellio ScotRail operated 352 stations in Scotland. [24] Not included were Prestwick International Airport station, owned and operated by the airport, [25] as well as both Edinburgh Waverley and Glasgow Central, which are managed by Network Rail. [26] Abellio ScotRail operated Lockerbie even though none of its services called there. During June 2015, it also took over management of Dunbar, which had been previously operated by Virgin Trains East Coast. [27]
Abellio ScotRail's fleet was maintained at Edinburgh Haymarket, Glasgow Eastfield, Glasgow Shields Road, Corkerhill Glasgow, Yoker, Ayr Townhead, Bathgate and Inverness as well as a newly built EMU stabling depot at Millerhill in Midlothian and a rebuilt depot at Cadder Yard.
Abellio ScotRail operated a diverse fleet of DMUs, EMUs and loco-hauled stock. From 10 December 2017, Class 380 EMUs were introduced onto services between Glasgow and Edinburgh via Falkirk High (also serving Croy, Polmont, Linlithgow and Haymarket). This was the first step in creating an entirely electric service between the two cities which was expected to start in October 2018 with Class 385 EMUs, which should have entered service in December 2017, but were subsequently delayed due to a windscreen fault.[ needs update ] [28] [29]
Early on in the franchise, Abellio ScotRail publicly stated its intention to introduce a brand new fleet of 46 three-car and 24 four-car Class 385 electric trains from December 2017, which would operate services on the lines that were being electrified as part of the Edinburgh to Glasgow Improvement Programme. [30] [31] However, various issues were encountered, including with the rail infrastructure itself but also the trains (mainly related to software and windscreen issues), [32] [33] as well as staff training, [34] that delayed the Class 385s entry to service. To cover for the shortfall in rolling stock, Abellio ScotRail hired 10 Class 365 units from Great Northern. These interim trains entered service in June 2018. [35]
From October 2018, Abellio ScotRail introduced former Great Western Railway HSTs on services between Edinburgh, Glasgow, Aberdeen and Inverness, branded as "Inter7City" in reference to Scotland's seven main cities. [36] [5] [37] The Mark 3 coaches were all outfitted with refurbished interiors, one of the most substantial changes was the replacement of slam doors with powered doors. There were a total of 26 sets: 17 five-car and 9 four-car trains. [36] As with the Class 385s, there were delays in getting the refurbished trains into service. As a result, some HST sets were pressed into service without refurbishment to allow for others to have refurbishment completed. By May 2020, ScotRail was operating an entirely refurbished HST fleet.[ citation needed ]
This new rolling stock resulted in ten Class 156, eight Class 158 and 21 Class 170 sets returning to their leasing companies when their leases expired in 2018. [38] Transport Scotland negotiated to retain an extra 13 Class 170s to support services through Fife to Aberdeen, the Fife Circle Line (replacing the Class 68/Mark 2 sets), and the Borders railway. [39] Arriva Rail North received five of the 156s, all the 158s and 16 of the Class 170s. [40] Five Class 170s (170416-170420) moved to East Midlands Railway in 2020. [41]
This section needs additional citations for verification .(April 2022) |
This new rolling stock resulted in ten Class 156, eight Class 158 and 21 Class 170 sets returning to their leasing companies when their leases expired in 2018. [38] Transport Scotland negotiated to retain an extra 13 Class 170s to support services through Fife to Aberdeen, the Fife Circle Line, and the Borders railway. [39] Arriva Rail North received five of the Class 156s, all 8 of the Class 158s and 16 of the Class 170s. [40] Five Class 170s (170416-170420) were transferred to East Midlands Railway in 2020. [41]
Former train types operated by ScotRail include:
First ScotRail was a train operating company in Scotland owned by FirstGroup. It operated the ScotRail franchise between October 2004 and March 2015.
Great North Eastern Railway, often referred to as GNER, was a train operating company in the United Kingdom, owned by Sea Containers, that operated the InterCity East Coast franchise on the East Coast Main Line between London, Yorkshire, North East England and Scotland from April 1996 until December 2007.
The InterCity 125 or High Speed Train (HST) is a diesel-powered high-speed passenger train built by British Rail Engineering Limited between 1975 and 1982. A total of 95 sets were produced, each comprising two Class 43 power cars, one at each end, and a rake of seven or eight Mark 3 coaches. The name is derived from its top operational speed of 125 mph (201 km/h). At times, the sets have been classified as British Rail Classes 253, 254 and 255.
InterCity was a brand name introduced by British Rail in 1966 for its long-haul express passenger services.
The British Rail Class 156 Super Sprinter is a diesel-hydraulic multiple unit passenger train. A total of 114 sets were built between 1987 and 1989 for British Rail by Metro-Cammell's Washwood Heath works. They were built to replace elderly first-generation DMUs and locomotive-hauled passenger trains.
The British Rail Class 170 Turbostar is a British diesel-hydraulic multiple unit passenger train designed and built by Adtranz, and later by Bombardier Transportation, at Derby Litchurch Lane Works.
The British Rail Class 153 Super Sprinter are single-coach diesel-hydraulic railcars which were converted from two-coach Class 155 diesel multiple units in the early 1990s. The class was intended for service on rural branch lines, either where passenger numbers do not justify longer trains or to boost the capacity on services with high passenger volume.
The British Rail Mark 3 is a type of passenger carriage developed in response to growing competition from airlines and the car in the 1970s. A variant of the Mark 3 became the rolling stock for the High Speed Train (HST).
The British Rail Class 43 (HST) is the TOPS classification used for the InterCity 125 High Speed Train diesel-electric power cars, built by British Rail Engineering Limited from 1975 to 1982, and in service in the UK since 1976.
Transport in Scotland is facilitated by road, rail, air and water networks. The Scottish Government and Scottish Parliament has control over most elements of transport policy within Scotland, with the Cabinet Secretary for Transport holding portfolio responsibility within the Scottish Government. Transport Scotland is the Executive Agency responsible for the Scottish transport network.
The Scottish Region (ScR) was one of the six regions created on British Railways (BR) and consisted of ex-London, Midland and Scottish Railway (LMS) and ex-London and North Eastern Railway (LNER) lines in Scotland. It existed from the creation of BR in 1948, and was renamed to ScotRail in the mid-1980s.
Stirling railway station is a railway station located in Stirling, Scotland. It is located on the former Caledonian Railway main line between Glasgow and Perth. It is the junction for the branch line to Alloa and is also served by trains on the Edinburgh to Dunblane Line and long-distance services to Dundee and Aberdeen and to Inverness via the Highland Main Line.
Caledonian Sleeper is the collective name for overnight sleeper train services between London and Scotland, in the United Kingdom. It is one of only two currently operating sleeper services on the railway in the United Kingdom – the other being the Night Riviera, which runs between London and Penzance.
ScotRail was a train operating company in Scotland owned by National Express that operated the ScotRail franchise from March 1997 until October 2004. Prior to March 1997 ScotRail ran the trains and after October 2004 First ScotRail ran them.
CrossCountry is a British train operating company owned by Arriva UK Trains, operating the current CrossCountry franchise.
National Express East Coast (NXEC) was a train operating company in the United Kingdom, owned by National Express, that operated the InterCity East Coast franchise on the East Coast Main Line between London, Yorkshire, North East England and Scotland from December 2007 until November 2009.
East Coast, the trading name of the East Coast Main Line Company, was a British train operating company running the InterCity East Coast franchise on the East Coast Main Line between London, Yorkshire, North East England, and Scotland. East Coast ran long-distance inter-city services from its Central London terminus at London King's Cross on two primary routes; the first to Leeds and the second to Edinburgh via Newcastle with other services reaching into Yorkshire and Northern and Central Scotland. It commenced operations on 14 November 2009 and ceased on 28 February 2015.
The British Rail Class 385 AT200 is a type of electric multiple unit built by Hitachi Rail for Abellio ScotRail. A total of 70 units have been built, divided into 46 three-car and 24 four-car sets. Based on the design of the Hitachi A-train, they are part of the Hitachi AT200 product family.
East Midlands Railway is a British train operating company owned by Transport UK Group, and is the current operator of the East Midlands franchise.
ScotRail Trains Limited, trading as ScotRail, is a Scottish train operating company that is publicly owned by Scottish Rail Holdings on behalf of the Scottish Government. It has been operating the ScotRail franchise as an operator of last resort since 1 April 2022.