LABOUR will try to cut short the current ScotRail franchise with a Holyrood vote on Wednesday.
The party has tabled a motion saying Dutch-owned Abellio should lose its deal to run Scotland’s trains in 2022, three years ahead of schedule, because of poor service.
Labour claimed the firm had left many of its passengers “exasperated” since it took over in 2015 and SNP ministers had failed to get value for money or extract sufficient improvements.
The party’s motion says: “This Parliament believes that the Government should not extend the current ScotRail franchise beyond its first expiry date in 2022.”
Labour said if it won the vote, ministers would be under extreme pressure to issue a “no rebasing notice”, meaning the franchise expiring in 2022.
MSP Colin Smyth said: “It’s now decision time for the SNP government over whether they extend Abellio’s franchise [past 2022]. If they do extend it, it would mean another three years of performance failures, delays to infrastructure projects and chaos at the most crucial of times for the railway.
“The very least SNP ministers can do is ensure the franchise is handed back at the first expiry date in 2022. Many passengers think Abellio is well past its expiry date already.”
Abellio insists its performance is improving, and last week reported nine out ten trains arrived on time in the previous four-week period.
MD Alex Hynes said at the time: “We know there is more to do to keep the country moving.
I understand and share [customers’] frustration when things don’t go to plan, and everyone across Scotland’s Railway is working round the clock to deliver the service our customers expect and deserve.”
SNP ministers have issued two remedial notices to Abellio ordering service improvements, and said they are prepared to act as operator of last resort if failures continue. However they have stopped short of saying they would do so in 2022.
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