IT is a good thing Abellio changed its name in 2009.

I suspect the Scottish Government would have looked less favourably on a bid that would have seen the new ScotRail franchise run under the banner NedRailways. But just imagine the potential for jokes.

In any case, the publicly-owned Dutch operator - founded in 2001 - sadly dropped the name five years ago, robbing transport correspondents across Scotland of a good chuckle.

As of April 2015, the First ScotRail brand will be consigned to history and Abellio ScotRail (NedRail?) born instead, following a laborious bidding process that also saw the franchise hopes of National Express, MTR and Arriva crushed.

No-one was surprised that Aberdeen-based First Group lost control of the franchise. Insiders say its bid was unimpressive and the first to be ruled out. However, it comes as a blow on the back of other failed bids for the Caledonian Sleeper and Essex Thameside franchises.

But passengers are less interested in who runs their trains, and more interested in how they are run. So what can customers expect from the new franchise holder?

It has been praised for the efficiency of its services in the Netherlands' state-run railway, and offers generous rebates for commuters when they experience a delay. Those left waiting more than half an hour on long-distance routes are entitled to a refund worth half of the ticket price, rising to a full refund if the delay is longer than an hour.

Passengers would probably welcome a similar policy in Scotland, although the only service that might be considered genuinely long-distance (the Caledonian Sleeper) will no longer form part of the ScotRail franchise as of next year, instead being operated on a separate contract by Serco.

However, Abellio has promised "improved journey times and connectivity" on intercity routes. It will benefit from the electrification of the Edinburgh-Glasgow and Stirling-Alloa-Dunblane lines undertaken by Network Rail, which should speed up running times in the key Strathclyde region. It was also the first to place an order for 70 of Hitachi Rail Europe's new AT200 commuter trains.

The trains have a top speed of nearly 100mph and can be adapted by the manufacturer to include additional luggage space, laptop power points and on-board wifi, a facility Abellio has vowed to deliver for free across the entire fleet. There is also an option for first-class carriages with reclining seats, which could be targeted to business travellers.

These are set to be rolled out at the start of December 2017, joined a year later by fully refurbished existing stock for inter-city journeys between Scotland's seven major cities which will come with "at-seat catering", a buffet car and a "proper first class offer for business travellers". There will also be "more toilets, luggage space and bike accommodation" on inter-city routes, with standard-class fares between any two cities starting at £5 or £7.50 for a first-class advance as part of an Easyjet-style pricing policy. Cyclists are also promised more parking spaces for their bikes and "improved cycle capacity" on off-peak trains.

Change is definitely coming down the line.