SCOTRAIL’S former private operator Abellio is continuing to make money from the train network despite its recent nationalisation, it has been revealed.
An investigation by the Sunday Mail uncovered that the Dutch firm is still making millions from contracts due to last for up to another three years.
It comes despite the Scottish Government stripping Abellio of the ScotRail franchise, warning the system was “no longer fit for purpose”.
Abellio still has a contract to run a customer service line, and provide payroll services. This contract is expected to last until 2023.
Other agreements for the provision of replacement transport and busses between Glasgow’s main transport hubs will be in place until 2023.
A spokesperson for ScotRail said: “The services provided by Abellio support key services for the continued operation of ScotRail, including rail replacement during times of disruption and engineering work, station tenancy and advertising, as well as customer service correspondence support and payroll services.”
The news came as ScotRail’s scaled-back Sunday timetable came into effect. The organisation said the temporary timetable would “provide greater certainty and reliability for customers”.
Around a third of daily services had already been slashed as the network struggles with a shortage of drivers.
About 50% of trains were cut on Sunday, with just 556 of the usual 1088 services expected to run.
The pay dispute between drivers and the company continues, leading to staff refusing to work rest-days. The national executive committee of train drivers’ union Aslef last week rejected a 4.2% pay rise offer, as inflation looks due to rise to 10% in the coming months.
The union has warned that members will be balloted on industrial action if ScotRail doesn’t come back to the negotiation table.
