Finnie reveals ScotRail failures on stop-skipping, shortened services & toilet audits
Scottish Greens Transport spokesperson John Finnie MSP can today (7 Feb 2018) reveal a series of “unacceptable” ScotRail performance failures which he says demonstrates the need for Scotland’s railways to be taken into public hands as soon as possible.
Mr Finnie’s enquires have revealed that:
* 5,968 trains were subject to stop-skipping in 2017 [1]
* Nearly 500,000 seats were planned but not provided [2]
* 22% of train toilet audits failed [3] throughout the year
Mr Finnie said:
“These figures reveal the huge scale of inconvenience encountered by commuters the length and breadth of the country on a daily basis.
"Stop-skipping has rightly received substantial coverage in recent months. This is a practice which is hugely inconvenient to rail passengers often leaving them stranded miles away from their intended destination – which can have serious consequences for people continually delayed on route to work, study or to medical appointments. It can also be extremely distressing for young passengers and people with disabilities who are often abandoned in locations without adequate facilities to meet their needs.
“Another practice seen all too often of cutting down a six car train to three cars, due to a breakdown, resulted in nearly 500,000 missing seats last year. This results from lack of investment in rolling stock and causes severe issues with overcrowding, particularly on peak time services. I think most passengers appreciate that they be required to stand for part of their journey on busy, short services. But it is unacceptable for people to be shoehorned in to dangerously overcrowded carriages.
“It is also extremely concerning that over 20% of train toilets that were audited failed. On board toilet services are essential, particularly for some passengers with disabilities.
“These unacceptable ScotRail performance stats demonstrate the need for greater investment in our railways. That investment doesn’t come as a result of private operators running a franchise. It is vital that ScotRail is moved into the public sector as soon as possible. I welcome the cross party approach taken by the Transport Minister in this regard so far, but I would urge him to move faster – ensuring a public sector bid is in place for the 2020 deadline.”