THE transport minister has said he expects “immediate” action from ScotRail on the practice of ‘stop-skipping’ after MSPs of all parties complained about it Holyrood.
Humza Yousaf heard gripes from three SNP MSPs, as well as Labour and Tory members, about how trains missing out stations caused problems their constituents.
He also said ScotRail’s communication to passengers had been “unacceptable”.
The criticism emerged as new figures showed failing passenger satisfaction with ScotRail.
A Transport Focus study found 85 per cent of passengers satisfied with their journey in autumn 2017, against 90 per cent in the spring, but still up on the 81 per cent UK average.
Satisfaction with ScotRail has dropped three points for both punctuality (to 82 per cent) and ticket prices (to 59 per cent).
It emerged last week that up to 20 of ScotRail’s 2500 trains a day deliberately skipped stations, and that the practice had become more common in recent years.
In response to an urgent question at Holyrood, Mr Yousaf told MSPs: “I completely understand the frustration that stop-skipping can cause for the customer experience.
“I fully expect the performance issues to be addressed immediately, and I regularly speak with Alex Hynes, the managing director of the ScotRail Alliance, to stress that very point.”
Midlothian SNP MSP Christine Grahame told him she had been “a victim” of stop-skipping on the Borders railway, and had been “very cross” at the inconvenience.
She said: “Will the minister seek to end this practice, because the impact on individuals on the train - elderly people, people who have children to pick up, people with job interviews - can be substantial? They can lose 45 minutes if they have to go to another station and take a train back.”
Mr Yousaf said the ScotRail Alliance felt stop-skipping was needed because “infrastructure might fail or there might be a points, signal or rolling-stock failure” which could cause greater problems across the rail network unless a train skipped a station.
“But he added: “What is clearly unacceptable, and what happens far too often, is the failure in communication around that. People can already be on the train and then have their stop skipped. If people knew in advance... they could perhaps plan their journey ahead.”
Green transport spokesman John Finnie said the ScotRail franchise virtually encouraged stop-skipping as it was punished by a lower penalty than a train arriving five minutes late.
He said it was therefore in Abellio’s interest to engage in stop-skipping.
He said: “I was pleased the transport minister acknowledged the current situation is not good enough and recognised that improvement must be made in communication with passengers.
“The way the current franchise agreement is written it is in Abellio’s interest to skip stops because it makes their PPM performance look better. The minister must ensure that future franchise agreements address this issue and do not permit unnecessary stop skipping.”
Responding to the survey, Mr Hynes said: “Customer satisfaction has improved compared to this time last year, and is a clear sign of the progress ScotRail is making.
"We aren't complacent, and we're working hard to build the best railway that Scotland has ever had. The investment we are making in new and refurbished trains will deliver faster journeys, more seats, and better services for our customers across Scotland."
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