IT was perhaps the wrong skillset, in the wrong place, at the wrong time.

There is no denying the calibre of outgoing ScotRail chief Phil Verster's CV prior to his short tenure north of the border: managing director of Network Rail's second largest route and chief executive of the operator of the national railway network in Ireland.

With the biggest modernisation of Scotland's rail network since Victorian times underway, it seemed an inspired appointment.

For many in the industry though Mr Verster is an engineer, perhaps one of the best in the UK, and one with a track record for driving down costs and improving safety, but someone whose strength lie literally in the nuts and bolts.

And in the face of criticism around delays, overcrowding and overall passenger dissatisfaction, what Scotland's rail operators need now is someone with a nous for public relations.

Mr Verster's mantra is that a better travelling experience is coming down the line. Game-changing improvements are building up a head of steam.

But as recently as this week his claims that the electrification of the network was ahead of schedule and that new trains would be operational from September were met with a dose of realism from a former Scottish transport minister.

People would forget these things in a day, warned Stewart Stevenson in Parliament. But they will remember on Thursday that the delayed train had them late for work on Monday.

Mr Verster took the role less than a year after Scotland's independence referendum. Like much else in the country the railways became overly politicised.

Regular figures showing ScotRail to be one of the best performing operators in Britain matter little when there was political capital to be had. Scotland's opposition parties have had a field day with the successful airing of grievances over delays, one particular recent breakdown of a train in Edinburgh crippling practically the whole national network.

Add to the mix the fact the ScotRail operator, Dutch transport giant Abellio, were falling short on their franchise targets and Labour had an ideal platform to attack the firm, the SNP Government and the transport minister Humza Yousaf.

Already a political football, what galled many within the train operator was the response of Mr Yousaf, that consideration would be given to a public bid for the railways if ScotRail did not up its game.

In the midst of this Mr Verster himself has become a significant part of the narrative. Earlier this month details of his relocation package were published in the media, showing a contribution of arouind £20,000 from the taxpayer towards his living expenses.

Salary details also appeared in the media, along with recent claims from a whistleblower that he had breached strict rules over accepting gifts and hospitality.

Just last week he told The Herald that attacks on ScotRail had taken on a personal hue.

Mr Verster takes up his new role overseeing the construction of a new line between Oxford and Cambridge. Jeremy Corbyn may have similarly politicised the railways south of the border but Mr Verster can be assured of one thing, a quieter life under less of a spotlight.

As for his successor, what is needed now is someone with a similarly thick skin but a softer touch.