A first-class performance but there are tough times ahead

THE story of ScotRail since Aberdeen-based FirstGroup took over the franchise in 2004 has been one of growth.

In spite of the economic circumstances, ScotRail’s passenger numbers have surged, with the 78.3 million journeys in 2010-11 representing a 22 per cent increase since the start of the franchise.

Performance, in terms of punctuality, has also improved so it’s perhaps no wonder passenger satisfaction with rail services in Scotland continues to outstrip the GB-wide figures.

Part of this success story is down to the concerted investment and improvement in service quality that First has focused upon since taking over ScotRail from National Express.

Clever marketing and attractive ticket offers have filled many off-peak trains, and reliability improvements have convinced many more people commute by train.

But austerity presents enormous challenges. Despite being rather badly written and something of a disaster in public relations terms, the Scottish Government’s recent Rail 2014 consultation paper does set out the choices facing us about the kind of ScotRail we want in future. It’s often forgotten the reason railways in Scotland do better in terms of passenger satisfaction is also because successive Scottish governments have chosen to prioritise rail investment.

New routes and trains, together with upgrades of existing infrastructure, have made a real difference. And there’s more to come: the £1 billion Edinburgh-Glasgow improvement project should deliver a modern electric railway network across the Central Belt genuinely comparable with any in Europe.

The current ScotRail contract was framed in times of plenty. Public spending restraint and the industry’s admission that the railways cost around a third more than they should mean government and the next franchise holder will have their work cut out to maintain service levels never mind improving them further.

l Iain Docherty is professor of public policy and governance at Glasgow University