Transport in Scotland is facilitated by road, rail, air and water networks. [1] 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. [2] Transport Scotland is the Executive Agency responsible for the Scottish transport network. [3]
The country has five international airports in which Edinburgh Airport is the busiest, handling in excess of 12 million passengers annually. [4] With over 790 islands lying off the Scottish coast, ferry services are primarily operated by Caledonian MacBrayne, a subsidiary of David MacBrayne which is owned by the Scottish Government. Caledonian Maritime Assets is the owner of the ferries, ports, harbours and infrastructure for ferry services serving the west coast of Scotland, the Firth of Clyde and the Northern Isles. In 2022, the countries rail operations were re–nationalised by the Scottish Government who took over the ScotRail franchise as an operator of last resort. [5] Scottish Rail Holdings is the executive agency of the Scottish Government which operate the ScotRail and Caledonian Sleeper services. Glasgow Central railway station is the country's busiest, with over 15 million passengers in 2022. [6]
The Scottish Government and Transport Scotland are solely responsible for transport in Scotland within the following areas:
Some aspects of transport policy and administration are reserved (i.e., not devolved), and are therefore the responsibility of the UK Government's Department for Transport: [7]
Scotland has an extensive railway network, with links across the country, connections to England, local commuter links to the major cities (many of which were electrified under British Rail) and freight. As of 2018, the total route length of the rail network in Scotland is 2,819 km (1,752 miles). 709 km (441 miles) of the rail network is electrified, and there are 359 stations. [8]
The railway network is owned by Network Rail, which is responsible for the majority of the railway infrastructure. Rail services are provided under franchises awarded by the government. The current holder of the Scottish franchise is ScotRail. Intercity services are also operated by Avanti West Coast, CrossCountry, Caledonian Sleeper, London North Eastern Railway and TransPennine Express. [9]
The East and West Coast Main Lines are the two cross-border railways that connect the networks of Scotland and England. London North Eastern Railway (LNER) provides inter-city rail journeys on the former between Inverness, Aberdeen and Edinburgh to London King's Cross via York, while Avanti West Coast runs services on the latter from either Edinburgh or Glasgow Central to London Euston with some services serving Birmingham New Street. TransPennine Express, Lumo, CrossCountry, Caledonian Sleeper and ScotRail also operate services to England. Domestic rail services within Scotland are operated by ScotRail. Glasgow's Subway is one of the four underground urban rail networks in the UK (the others being in London, Newcastle and Liverpool). Edinburgh has a tramway to and from the airport.
On 1 January 2006, Transport Scotland was established, which would oversee the regulation of railways in Scotland and administer major rail projects. [10] Since April 2022, Transport Scotland has taken ScotRail back into public ownership via its operator of last resort, Scottish Rail Holdings. [11] It will do the same with the Caledonian Sleeper service in June 2023. [12]
The main cross border services in Scotland are:
Within Scotland, 94% of passenger service trains are operated by ScotRail, with the remaining 6% being cross border. [14] Until 2005, services within the former Strathclyde Regional Council area were provided by First ScotRail on behalf of SPT. [15]
The first railway in Scotland was the Monkland and Kirkintilloch Railway, opened in 1826. The first passenger railway was the Kilmarnock & Troon Railway. [16] The first railways in Scotland were operated using horse traction. By 1850, Scotland's major cities were linked to each other and to the rest of the British railway network. The second half of the nineteenth century saw a rapid expansion of the network, and by 1900; virtually every town with a population greater than 2,000 on the Scottish mainland had a railway station. At the same time, trains became more comfortable, faster and more frequent whilst the cost of travel declined relative to wages.
Nevertheless, there were probably never more than 100 million or so journeys made per year within Scotland, little more than 20 per head of population, illustrating how most people had little need, financial means or desire to travel long distances. Railways did, though, play an important part in moving freight, especially heavy loads such as coal, iron and steel, and played a vital role in the First World War.
After World War I, the Railways Act 1921 also known as the Grouping Act, merged the Caledonian Railway and its rival, the North British Railway into the newly created London, Midland and Scottish Railway and London and North Eastern Railway companies.
After World War II, the railways were nationalised by the Transport Act 1947 into British Railways. The Scottish network was reorganised as the Scottish Region (ScR), one of six new regions of British Railways.
By the late-1950s, the railways were operating at a loss. In 1963, the Government appointed Richard Beeching as Chairman of the British Transport Commission. He commissioned a report called The Reshaping of British Railways also known as the Beeching Repor that intended to reorganise the railways to become more profitable. This led to the infamous Beeching cuts, resulting in 650 miles of track and associated stations being closed. [17] The closures were deeply unpopular by many people affected and resulted in protests, most notably the Waverley Route. [18]
The closure programme slowed down after the Transport Act 1968 made it possible for the Government to directly subsidise loss-making lines and the last major closures in the 1970s, were the direct Edinburgh–Perth Glenfarg line and the Formartine and Buchan Railway which connected Peterhead and Fraserburgh to Aberdeen.
In the 1980s, British Railways (by that point renamed "British Rail") rebranded the Scottish Region as ScotRail.
British Rail was privatised in March 1997 by the outgoing Conservative Government. The Scotland franchise was won by National Express who decided to retain the ScotRail brand and operated the franchise until 2004. The Scotland franchise was then operated by First ScotRail until 2015 when Abellio ScotRail was awarded the franchise by the devolved Scottish Government. The Caledonian Sleeper service, which had previously been operated by the Scotland franchise holder from 1997, was separated as a new franchise in 2015. It is currently operated by Scottish Rail Holdings after being taken into public ownership by the Scottish Government and Transport Scotland in 2023. [19]
Since 1997, rail usage has risen, which has resulted in the reopening of former railway lines and stations closed under the Beeching Axe. Major reopenings include:
In 2008, the Scottish Government announced that £200 million would be spent to reduce journey times between Aberdeen and both Edinburgh and Glasgow. The funds would shorten the journey time between Aberdeen and Edinburgh by 24 minutes. However, in 2021, it was stated that only £1.68 million had been spent. [20] [21]
The Glasgow Subway is the only underground system in Scotland. It opened on 14 December 1896, making it the third-oldest underground network in the world after the Budapest Metro and the London Underground. It is owned and operated by Strathclyde Partnership for Transport.
Edinburgh Trams opened on 31 May 2014. It is the only system currently in operation in Scotland, although Aberdeen, Dundee, Dunfermline, Edinburgh and Glasgow formerly had extensive networks.
Scotland has an extensive road network throughout the country. The motorway network is concentrated in the Central belt, with trunk roads (A roads) connecting the rest of the country.
Major routes in Scotland include:
Within the large cities, roads become congested in peak hours. The M8 and M77 motorways become heavily congested in peak hours, especially around Glasgow where it travels through the heart of the city. The main congestion hotspots are in Glasgow City Centre around the Kingston Bridge where a large amount of traffic leaves and enter the road. Also further down the road traffic joining at Hillington Estate and Braehead Shopping Centre near Glasgow Airport can cause hold-ups. Traffic is also extremely heavy between Glasgow and Edinburgh at all times, however rarely comes to a standstill.
An extension to the M9 spur to link with the A90 at the Forth Bridge recently opened, as did the new Clackmannanshire Bridge over the Firth of Forth. A controversial extension to the M74 motorway through the southside of Glasgow was also completed in 2011. The road, first proposed in the 1960s, was due to be open in 2008. However, legal action against the road was brought by environmental group Friends of the Earth. The action ultimately failed; however, the motorway has widespread opposition after ministers over-ruled the Local Public Inquiry held into the project which recommended that the road not be built, as it would be unable to substantially reduce congestion and would lead to more vehicles and pollution in the area. The Scottish Ministers voted for the road, believing that it would regenerate the inner city of Glasgow's Southside and bring economic benefits to Renfrewshire, Inverclyde and the Southside of Glasgow. Construction cost is estimated at £575 million, and it is Scotland's biggest roads project, and the first motorway to be built in a British urban area for decades.
Motorways of Scotland | ||
M73 – M74 – M77 – M8 – M80 – M876 – M898 – M9 – M90 | ||
A-roads with motorway restrictions | ||
---|---|---|
A74(M) – A823(M) |
Scotland is covered by a large bus network throughout many towns, cities and rural areas. It is estimated that 95% of the population live within 5 minutes walk of a bus stop. National and international buses often operate out of main bus stations in the cities, such as Buchanan bus station in Glasgow and Edinburgh bus station.
Scottish Citylink and Megabus are the two principal long-distance coach operators within Scotland, and currently operating together as a joint venture. However, the deal is being monitored by the competition commission to ensure that it does not unfairly damage long-distance bus travel in Scotland. National Express provide coach links with cities in England and Wales.
FirstGroup and Stagecoach Group are two large public transport companies which are based in Scotland at Aberdeen and Perth, respectively, and both operate a number of local and regional services.
Numerous local independent operators also run bus services throughout Scotland as well as Lothian Buses, Edinburgh's largest bus operator and Scotland's last council-run bus company.
Scotland's bus network, like that of Great Britain outside London, is deregulated following an act of UK Parliament in 1986. This broke up the former national and city bus companies, formerly run by the local authorities since the 1930s, into private companies. The act also allowed buses to be operated by private companies and individuals for profit, provided they met the financial, background and maintenance requirements to qualify for a licence, set down by Vehicle & Operator Services Agency who administrate the system. A Public Service Vehicle Licence is then granted to allow a specified number of vehicles to be operated. Using this licence firms can then register their routes with the Local Traffic Commissioner for the area, in this case Scotland, indicating the exact route to be operated as well as the times and dates their buses will run. No requirements are set as to when and what routes buses can run, their age and what fares can be charged-this is decided by companies, often by the profitability of the route. Currently only one bus company, Lothian Buses in Edinburgh, remains under ownership and control of local councils in Lothian and Edinburgh.
On 31 January 2022, free bus travel was introduced across Scotland for everyone aged under 22. [22]
As Scotland is made up of several hundred islands, water has always been an important transport route for passengers and freight, particularly in the remote communities of the Hebrides.
Caledonian MacBrayne, a subsidiary of David MacBrayne, is owned by the Scottish Government. A fleet of 31 ferries serve a 52 ports and 49 routes on the ferry network in Scotland, with 5.3 million passengers travelling on the Caledonian MacBrayne ferry network in 2018. [23] The ferry network in Scotland is faced with issues, in part due to the ageing fleet of the Caledonian MacBrayne network. [24] The average age of a Caledonian MacBrayne vessel in 2023 was 40 years old, with MV Isle of Arran having been built in 1983, and serves the busiest route (Ardrossan–Brodick) in Scotland's ferry network. [24]
The ferry network is often met with criticism by those living and working in Scotland's island communities, citing delays and cancellations as a reason for loss of earnings and impacting island communities local economies. [25] Construction of two replacement vessels, MV Glen Sannox (2017) and "Hull 802" were awarded to Ferguson Marine in 2015, however, have faced major delays and budget overspending, trebling to £293 million. [26]
In an attempt to deal with the political scandal arising from the ferry fiasco, the Scottish Government nationalised the Ferguson Marine shipyard, which, at the time of Scottish Government nationalisation, had debts of £70 million. [27]
There are several ferry companies operating in Scotland including:
The Strathclyde Partnership for Transport, formerly Strathclyde Passenger Transport, the only regional passenger executive in Scotland also subsidises and operates ferries on the Clyde including the Kilcreggan Ferry and the Renfrew Ferry.
The ferry to Gothenburg, Sweden, from Newcastle (actually North Shields) in northern England (currently run by the Danish company DFDS Seaways), ceased at the end of October 2006. [28] This service was a key route for Scottish tourist traffic from Sweden and Norway. The company cited high fuel prices and new competition from low-cost air services, especially Ryanair (which now flies to Glasgow Prestwick and London Stansted from Gothenburg City Airport), as being the cause. DFDS Seaways' sister company, DFDS Tor Line, will continue to run scheduled freight ships between Gothenburg and several English ports, including Newcastle, and these have limited capacity for passengers, but not private vehicles. The Newcastle–Kristiansand, Norway, route has however recently been cancelled.
Scotland never had an extensive canal network. The Forth and Clyde Canal, Union Canal and the Caledonian Canal were some of the most important, but went into decline after the growth of the railways. They are now being reopened and restored primarily for leisure use.
Air transport in Scotland is responsible for 0.3% of Scottish Gross Value Added (GVA) (roughly £400 million). [30] In 2019, 3.5 million international inbound visits to Scotland occurred, with a total visitor spending being estimated £2.5 billion. Of the 3.5 million inbound visits, 1.9 million used Scottish airports. [30] The Scottish Government has passed a bill in the Scottish Parliament to replace the UK-wide Air Passenger Duty with a Air Departure Tax which would apply fully and solely to Scotland. [31]
Edinburgh Airport is the busiest airport in Scotland by passenger numbers, and is a major transatlantic gateway for Scotland. In 2023, Edinburgh Airport handled in excess of 14 million passengers, a 28% increase from recorded passenger numbers in 2022. Thirty-five airlines fly to 152 international destinations from Edinburgh Airport, with the airport handling 115,000 aircraft movements in 2023. [29] The countries second largest airport by passenger numbers is Glasgow Airport, which handles over 7 million passengers on an annual basis. A total of 20 airlines serve Glasgow Airport, flying to over 100 international destinations. [32]
Glasgow Prestwick Airport in Prestwick, South Ayrshire, was the only airport in Scotland to operate a transatlantic link for a considerable period of time before the establishment of Scotland's other larger airports, such as Aberdeen, Edinburgh and Glasgow. Aberdeen Airport is one of Europe's busiest commercial heliports due to its proximity to the North Sea and its role in supporting the North Sea oil and gas industry. The open skies policy (1990) allowed Scots to fly direct to international countries without the need to change flights at airports such as London Heathrow or London Gatwick. [33] British Airways, EasyJet, Jet2 and Ryanair operate the majority of flights between Scotland and other major UK and European airports.
Highlands and Islands Airports operates eleven airports across the Highlands, Orkney, Shetland and the Western Isles, which are primarily used for short distance, public service operations, although Inverness Airport has a number of scheduled flights to destinations across the UK and mainland Europe. Inverness Airport is largely considered as the "air gateway" for the Scottish Highland area and Scotland's islands. [33] It is the largest of the ten airports serving the Highlands and Islands region, handling more than 330 flights per week to both Scottish and UK-wide destinations in 2009. [34]
A number of smaller airports across Scotland provide a mixture of commercial and military flights. Smaller airports of the country include Barra Airport, Benbecula Airport, Campbeltown Airport, Coll Airport, Colonsay Airport, Dundee Airport, Eday Airport, Fair Isle Airport, Foula Airport, Islay Airport, Tingwall Airport, North Ronaldsay Airport, Oban Airport, Papa Stour Airstrip, Papa Westray Airport, Sanday Airport, Stornoway Airport, Stronsay Airport, Sumburgh Airport, Tiree Airport, Westray Airport and Wick Airport. Islay Airport is known as the "Queen of the Hebrides" and is connected to the Scottish mainland with flights to Glasgow operated by British Airways. [34]
Scotland has five international airports – Aberdeen, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Glagow Prestwick and Inverness – with scheduled services, operating to Europe, North America and Asia, as well domestic services to England, Northern Ireland and Wales. There are currently four Scottish-based airlines:
Location | County | ICAO | IATA | Airport name | Usage | Rwy Length | Surface | Elevation (m) | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
(m) | (ft) | ||||||||
Aberdeen | Aberdeen | EGPD | ABZ | Aberdeen Airport | Public | 1,953 | 6,407 | Asphalt | 66 |
Ardchattan and Muckairn | Argyll and Bute | EGEO | OBN | Oban Airport | Public | 1,240 | 4,068 | Asphalt | 7 |
Baltasound | Shetland | EGPW | UNT | Unst Airport | Public | 640 | 2,100 | Asphalt | |
Benbecula | Na h-Eileanan Siar | EGPL | BEB | Benbecula Airport | Public | 1,836 | 6,023 | Asphalt | 6 |
Barra | Na h-Eileanan Siar | EGPR | BRR | Barra Airport | Public | 846 | 2,776 | Sand | 2 |
Campbeltown | Argyll and Bute | EGEC | CAL | Campbeltown Airport (RAF Machrihanish ) | Public | 3,049 | 10,003 | Asphalt | 13 |
Coll | Argyll and Bute | EGEL | COL | Coll Airport | Public | 500 | 1,640 | Asphalt | 6 |
Colonsay and Oronsay | Argyll and Bute | EGEY | CSA | Colonsay Airport | Public | 501 | 1,644 | Asphalt | 13 |
North Ronaldsay | Orkney | EGEN | NRL | North Ronaldsay Airport | Public | 467 | 1,532 | Graded hardcore | 17 |
Cumbernauld | North Lanarkshire | EGPG | Cumbernauld Airport | Public | 820 | 2,690 | Asphalt | 107 | |
Dalcross | Highland | EGPE | INV | Inverness Airport | Public | 1,887 | 6,191 | Asphalt | 9 |
Dundee | Dundee | EGPN | DND | Dundee Airport | Public | 1,400 | 4,593 | Asphalt | 5 |
Dunrossness | Shetland | EGPB | LSI | Sumburgh Airport | Public | 1,426 | 4,678 | Asphalt | 6 |
Eday | Orkney | EGED | EOI | Eday Airport | Public | 467 | 1,532 | Graded hardcore | 6 |
Edinburgh | Edinburgh | EGPH | EDI | Edinburgh Airport | Public | 2,560 | 8,399 | Asphalt | 41 |
Fair Isle | Shetland | EGEF | FIE | Fair Isle Airport | Private | 486 | 1,594 | Gravel | 68 |
Foula | Shetland | FOA | Foula Airfield | 457 | 1,500 | Gravel | |||
Islay | Argyll and Bute | EGPI | ILY | Islay Airport | Public | 1,545 | 5,068 | Asphalt | 17 |
Kinglassie | Fife | EGPJ | Fife Airport | Public | 700 | 2,297 | Asphalt | ||
Kinloss | Moray | EGQK | FSS | Kinloss Barracks | Military | 2,311 | 7,582 | Asphalt | |
Sanday | Orkney | EGES | NDY | Sanday Airport | Public | 467 | 1,532 | Graded hardcore | 20 |
Leuchars | Fife | EGQL | ADX | Leuchars Station | Military | 2,588 | 8,491 | Asphalt | |
Lossiemouth | Moray | EGQS | LMO | RAF Lossiemouth | Military | 2,749 | 9,019 | Asphalt | |
Out Skerries | Shetland | OUK | Out Skerries Airport | ||||||
Papa Stour | Shetland | PSV | Papa Stour Airport | Public | 442 | 1,450 | Gravel | ||
Papa Westray | Orkney | EGEP | PPW | Papa Westray Airport | Public | 469 | 1,532 | Graded hardcore | 28 |
Paisley | Renfrewshire | EGPF | GLA | Glasgow Airport | Public | 2,658 | 8,720 | Asphalt | 8 |
Prestwick | South Ayrshire | EGPK | PIK | Glasgow Prestwick Airport | Public | 2,987 | 9,799 | Concrete/asphalt | 20 |
Mainland, Orkney | Orkney | EGPA | KOI | Kirkwall Airport | Public | 1,428 | 4,685 | Asphalt | 18 |
Scone | Perth and Kinross | EGPT | PSL | Perth Airport | Public | 853 | 2,799 | Asphalt | |
Stornoway | Na h-Eileanan Siar | EGPO | SYY | Stornoway Airport | Public | 2,200 | 7,218 | Asphalt | 8 |
Ashaig | Highland | EGEI | SKL | Broadford Airfield | Public | 793 | 2,602 | Grass | |
Stronsay | Orkney | EGER | SOY | Stronsay Airport | Public | 515 | 1,690 | Graded hardcore | 12 |
Tingwall | Shetland | EGET | LWK | Tingwall Airport | Public | 764 | 2,507 | Asphalt | 14 |
Tiree | Argyll and Bute | EGPU | TRE | Tiree Airport | Public | 1,472 | 4,829 | Asphalt | |
Westray | Orkney | EGEW | WRY | Westray Airport | Public | 467 | 1,532 | Gravel | 9 |
Whalsay | Shetland | EGEH | WHS | Whalsay Airstrip | Public | 457 | 1,499 | Asphalt | |
Wick | Highland | EGPC | WIC | Wick Airport | Public | 1,825 | 5,988 | Asphalt |
Transport in the United Kingdom is facilitated by road, rail, air and water networks. Some aspects of transport are a devolved matter, with each of the countries of the United Kingdom having separate systems under separate governments.
Argyll and Bute is one of 32 unitary council areas in Scotland and a lieutenancy area. The current lord-lieutenant for Argyll and Bute is Jane Margaret MacLeod. The administrative centre for the council area is in Lochgilphead at Kilmory Castle, a 19th-century Gothic Revival building and estate. The current council leader is Councillor Jim Lynch.
First ScotRail was a train operating company in Scotland owned by FirstGroup. It operated the ScotRail franchise between October 2004 and March 2015.
The West Highland Line is a railway line linking the ports of Mallaig and Oban in the Scottish Highlands to Glasgow in Central Scotland. The line was voted the top rail journey in the world by readers of independent travel magazine Wanderlust in 2009, ahead of the notable Trans-Siberian line in Russia and the Cuzco to Machu Picchu line in Peru. The ScotRail website has since reported that the line has been voted the most scenic railway line in the world for the second year running.
The Highland Main Line is a railway line in Scotland. It is 118 mi (190 km) long and runs through the central Scottish Highlands, mainly following the route of the A9, and linking a series of small towns and villages with Perth at one end and Inverness at the other. Today, services between Inverness and Edinburgh, Glasgow and London use the line. At Inverness the line connects with the Far North Line, the Aberdeen-Inverness Line and the Kyle of Lochalsh Line. Since the line is not electrified all trains are diesel-powered.
The city of Glasgow, Scotland, has a transport system encompassing air, rail, road and an underground light metro line. Prior to 1962, the city was also served by trams. Commuters travelling into Glasgow from the neighbouring local authorities of North and South Lanarkshire, Renfrewshire, East Renfrewshire, and East and West Dunbartonshire have a major influence on travel patterns, with tens of thousands of residents commuting into the city each day. The most popular mode of transport in the city is the car, used by two-thirds of people for journeys around the city.
Perth railway station is a railway station located in the city of Perth, Scotland, on both the Glasgow to Dundee line and the Highland Main Line. It is managed by ScotRail, who provide almost all of the services.
Inverness railway station serves the Scottish city of Inverness. It is the terminus of the Highland Main Line, the Aberdeen–Inverness line, the Kyle of Lochalsh line and the Far North Line.
Dundee railway station serves the city of Dundee on the east coast of Scotland. It is situated on the northern, non-electrified section of the East Coast Main Line, 59+1⁄4 miles (95.4 km) northeast of Edinburgh. Dundee is the tenth busiest station in Scotland. In January 2014, the former main station building was demolished to make way for a new building as part of the Dundee Waterfront Project which opened on 9 July 2018.
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.
Edinburgh is a major transport hub in east central Scotland and is at the centre of a multi-modal transport network with road, rail and air communications connecting the city with the rest of Scotland and internationally.
Aberdeen railway station is the main railway station in Aberdeen, Scotland. It is the busiest railway station in Scotland north of the major cities of Glasgow and Edinburgh. It is located on Guild Street in the city centre, next to Union Square.
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.
Gleneagles railway station serves the town of Auchterarder in Perth and Kinross, Scotland.
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.
Tyne and Wear is a metropolitan area covering the cities of Newcastle upon Tyne and Sunderland, as well as North and South Tyneside, Gateshead and Washington.
David MacBrayne is a limited company owned by the Scottish Government. Formed in 1851 as the private shipping company David Hutcheson & Co. with three partners, David Hutcheson, Alexander Hutcheson and David MacBrayne, it passed in 1878 to David MacBrayne.
Abellio ScotRail, 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.
The British Rail Mark 5 is the designation given to locomotive-hauled rail carriages built by Spanish manufacturer CAF for operation with Caledonian Sleeper.
After extensive privatisation of the public sector during the Margaret Thatcher administration, there remain few statutory corporations in the UK. Privatisation began in the late 1970s, and notable privatisations include the Central Electricity Generating Board, British Rail, and more recently Royal Mail. After the Hatfield rail crash accident, the British government decided to intervene and in 2002 renationalised Railtrack into Network Rail.