21 June 2012
Keith Brown must outline ambitious future for Scotland's railways
Transform Scotland has
circulated a briefing to all MSPs in advance of this afternoon's Ministerial announcement on rail.
In the briefing, Transform Scotland call for transport minister Keith Brown to ensure:
- There should be no further fragmentation of the structure of the rail industry.
- Rail fares should not be set to price travellers off the network.
- The ScotRail franchise should be used to deliver a national smart integrated ticket (smartcard).
- New trains (rolling stock) should be owned by the Scottish Government as opposed to being leased from privately-owned Rolling Stock Operating Companies (ROSCOs).
- Rolling stock should be suitable for the routes which they serve: requirements for long-distance inter-city routes are different from commuter routes, and are different again for rural services.
- The Sleeper services need to be upgraded or replaced to bring it up to modern standards.
- A further specific consultation exercise should be carried out to collect views on both rolling stock provision and new timetables — given the major changes to both areas that will be necessary in the coming years.
- We need to see the already-committed EGIP and Borders Rail projects delivered on their current schedules. Further infrastructure priorities should include: infill electrification schemes; upgrades to the Highland Main Line and Aberdeen-Inverness routes; and doubling the single track at Usan. Re-opening opportunities also exist on the lines to Levenmouth, Grangemouth and the through-route between Alloa and Dunfermline.