First's fines up as rail standards fall

Published on Saturday 18 June 2005 00:36

FINES imposed on First ScotRail for failing to meet quality standards have increased for the second month in a row on the largest part of its network.

Penalties for failings such as dirty stations and broken toilets rose by 3,000 to 130,000 last month in Strathclyde.

James King, of the Rail Passengers Committee Scotland, described the fines yesterday as "quite surprising and not a little disturbing".

The Service Quality Incentive Regime (SQUIRE) has been in place since December, with targets to encourage improvements, but the higher fines show standards are slipping.

SQUIRE is a condition of First's franchise, which began last October, and figures for other parts of the network are to be published next week.

In Strathclyde, the train operator passed fewer than a third of quality standards, performing worst, and deteriorating, on ticket offices, station graffiti, litter, timetables, toilets, announcements and information screens.

The best-performing areas, which improved further, were seats, lighting, CCTV, posters and ticket collection in stations, and staff, ticket checks and doors on trains.

Gordon Dewar, First ScotRail's commercial director, said several ticket offices had been closed because of staff shortages. Recruitment was under way, with agency staff filling gaps in the short term.

He said: "We still have a significant way to go before we reach a level we will be happy with. Actions plans are now in place in a number of areas. Additional staff have been recruited to tackle the issues with train toilets.

"These are very challenging targets, set to ensure that standards are raised throughout the franchise and that passengers see real improvements."