First Scotrail No More

[jailender]

Can we get some of those funky Dutch double decker trains now?...

Don't think that will be possible due to bridge heights.

[perthTam]

Can we get some of those funky Dutch double decker trains now?...

I'm not going in the top tier as train heads into tunnel at Queen Street

[Bzzzz]

Any service being "europeanised" is a good thing IMO, pretty much everything in Europe is better than it is here.

Abellio and the government said the deal would deliver improved services for passengers, including:

• Fares between any two Scottish cities starting at £5 (starting at £7.50 for first class)

• Reduced fares for jobseekers

• Free wifi internet connections on all trains

• 23% more carriages across the network.

• A Dutch-style cycle/rail network

You never know, they might even offer:

• A guarantee of no compulsory redundancies throughout the life of the contract

• A commitment to earnings of at least the living wage for all staff and subcontractors

• Protection of rail staff pensions and travel rights

• At least 100 apprenticeships

• Trade union representation at franchise board meetings.

Sounds like a pretty decent deal to me but of course it's the SNP so it's clearly a terrible thing...

Edited October 8, 2014 by Bzzzz

[jailender]

Only a couple of years ago it was about £2.50 odds to get from Newton Mearns into Glasgow off peak which I thought was a fair price. Now it's about £4.20 off peak, in a filthy, damp carriage usually.

Noticed the Cathcart Circle line has had a lot more signalling and engineering problems in the last eighteen months than it has in years previously. Hope the Dutch can fix things across the whole country.

Is the infrastructure not the responsibility of Network Rail ?

[Charlie Endell]

Without fail, the train I go for in the morning or at night is always a few minutes late. I couldn't tell you the last time it never happened. When you're trying to get a bus after the choo & everything needs to be bang on time, it's fecking infuriating.

I'd love to know where they get their survey samples from. I don't know many people who are as delighted as Shitrail try to make out.

Goodbye & good riddance.

Only a couple of years ago it was about £2.50 odds to get from Newton Mearns into Glasgow off peak which I thought was a fair price. Now it's about £4.20 off peak, in a filthy, damp carriage usually.

Noticed the Cathcart Circle line has had a lot more signalling and engineering problems in the last eighteen months than it has in years previously. Hope the Dutch can fix things across the whole country.

For all their sins, engineering and signalling aren't the responsibility of Scotrail, so sadly nothiing will change there. The infrastructure is looked after by Network Rail (a totally separate company). If a Scotrail train is late / cancelled it's probably only their fault if the train itself has broken down.

Edit: See jailender beat me to it.

Edited October 8, 2014 by Charlie Endell

[ErsatzThistle]

Is the infrastructure not the responsibility of Network Rail ?

Aye it might be now that you mention it.

It's been buggered for the last eighteen months or so anyway, after it used to be one of the more efficient areas in the past.

On a darker note, a feck load of people have sadly been deliberately jumping or accidently falling in front of trains on the CC line in the last few years. Hardly ever used to happen.

[jailender]

You can hardly blame Scotrail for that.

[ErsatzThistle]

You can hardly blame Scotrail for that.

Not blaming them for folk being killed. Just an observation of something that's becoming a very sad semi-regular occurrence on the line.

[Charlie Endell]

I've been using the CC / Neilston / Newton lines regularly since 1999 and in all this time can't recall services being disrupted due to a suicide or attempted suicide - although some idiot did manage to drive through the fence at Maxwell Park last year and land his motor on the track.

[ParisInAKilt]

In the 3 months I worked for them it happened a couple of times in and around Paisley and there would be obvious cancelations and delays, the general publics lack of empathy and understanding because of it was always a bit of a shock

[deecie]

I'm pretty sure the double decker trains in Europe aren't much higher as the lower floor is 'sunk'.

I just want a reasonably priced reliable service, something First failed to deliver. So 'em.

[ErsatzThistle]

I've been using the CC / Neilston / Newton lines regularly since 1999 and in all this time can't recall services being disrupted due to a suicide or attempted suicide - although some idiot did manage to drive through the fence at Maxwell Park last year and land his motor on the track.

There's been four or five in the last couple of years, primarily at Whitecraigs and Patterton. Mixture of accidents and suicides. The last one was a fatal accident back in May I think, at Whitecraigs, a young girl fell off the platform as the train came in sadly.

[Flure]

Noticed the Cathcart Circle line has had a lot more signalling and engineering problems in the last eighteen months than it has in years previously. Hope the Dutch can fix things across the whole country.

The Dutch will only be running the trains. Same as First ScotRail. The lines belong to Network Rail.

Edit - beaten to it by two slick contributors.

Edited October 8, 2014 by Flure

[Kenneth Farrington]

The Dutch will only be running the trains. Same as First ScotRail. The lines belong to Network Rail.

Edit - beaten to it by two slick contributors.

As you can gather, Charles is a rail enthusiast!

[Flure]

As you can gather, Charles is a rail enthusiast!

Hard lines, eh?

[Rossy]

As a small aside, the reliability of Dutch Railways, and the quality and cleanliness of their trains, has been declining for years and lags far behind that of Scotrail.

[Auchinyell Sox Change]

I've been using the CC / Neilston / Newton lines regularly since 1999 and in all this time can't recall services being disrupted due to a suicide or attempted suicide - although some idiot did manage to drive through the fence at Maxwell Park last year and land his motor on the track.

are you suggesting theres been a murdur

[Caledonian Craig]

I will say Abellio taking over looks like it will be bad news for a sector of catering employees on the trains. It is strongly thought they will put the catering to outside catering company whereas at present under First employees in catering work for the rail company. As soon as catering staff get farmed out to external catering company they will:-

A. Lose all travel passes and have to pay to travel on trains.

B. Lose protection from the union leaving them open to be treated like shite.

C. Lose the right to apply for internal vacancies in other sectors in the company ie ticket examiner, gateline, dispatch, conductor etc etc etc.

I worked for ScotRail under National Express when catering was offered by CCG (Compass Catering Group) and the terms and conditions were plain awful. Absolute minimum uniform supplied (one of each garment), many 12 hour plus shifts, many shifts without twelve hours gap between shifts, no union protection and wages at bare minimum of not even £10,000 per annum. When First took over and took catering in house things improved considerably on all fronts with several items of uniform supplied, training offered on varying courses to help you do the job to better standard, far better wages, travel passes, union protection, pension plans and far better shift patterns. So you see First aren't exactly the Gorgon they are painted out to be. Wait and see what Abellio offer before jumping up and down in celebration but straight away I can say a sector of their employees are set for rough times.

[biffer]

Abellio have said they will make all contractors pay the living wage, so there may be some degree of reassurance there. Good to see the guarantee union representation at board meetings as well.

[Guest flumax]

I will say Abellio taking over looks like it will be bad news for a sector of catering employees on the trains. It is strongly thought they will put the catering to outside catering company whereas at present under First employees in catering work for the rail company. As soon as catering staff get farmed out to external catering company they will:-

A. Lose all travel passes and have to pay to travel on trains.

B. Lose protection from the union leaving them open to be treated like shite.

C. Lose the right to apply for internal vacancies in other sectors in the company ie ticket examiner, gateline, dispatch, conductor etc etc etc.

I worked for ScotRail under National Express when catering was offered by CCG (Compass Catering Group) and the terms and conditions were plain awful. Absolute minimum uniform supplied (one of each garment), many 12 hour plus shifts, many shifts without twelve hours gap between shifts, no union protection and wages at bare minimum of not even £10,000 per annum. When First took over and took catering in house things improved considerably on all fronts with several items of uniform supplied, training offered on varying courses to help you do the job to better standard, far better wages, travel passes, union protection, pension plans and far better shift patterns. So you see First aren't exactly the Gorgon they are painted out to be. Wait and see what Abellio offer before jumping up and down in celebration but straight away I can say a sector of their employees are set for rough times.

Gonna sound a little tory here, but if the conditions are rubbish for employees, they can leave a.nd get another job However if the service to the customer is awful, a passenger can not get another train provider.

Imo The service is there for infrastructure and Transport purposes, and less than an employment opportunity. So I hope the new franchise was assessed on these points for the benefit of the majority of Scotland rather than the minority of those who work on the railway

[deecie]

Speaking as a passenger, I couldn't care less about the catering on trains. If they can improve reliability, reduce prices & occasionally have a free seat I don't actually care.

(Nae offence like)

[Caledonian Craig]

Sorry to burst your First hate bubble fervor but First did improve reliability - stats don't lie and stats are released not by First so no doctoring of stats going on. I do believe First ScotRail was up amongst top three TOC's in the UK for customer satisfaction so again doesn't tally with the venom directed at them. No doubt about it First were a massive improvement from National Express who they took over from. As for Abellio dont hold your breath - passengers in Anglia are far from happy with what they have done to that previously thriving franchise.

Edited October 9, 2014 by Caledonian Craig

[jailender]

Bottom line is the Abellio were the cheapest bidder for the franchise, so they won. But we will be getting more parking spaces for bikes at stations ! First definitely improved the service, and it will be interesting to see how the new lot do. I think it might not be the bright new day they are suggesting.

[Rossy]

I have memories of Scotrail in the dark old days before First.....trains late or never turned up, old, filthy rolling stock, disninterested staff who didn't sell or collect tickets.

First have improved things out of sight in the last decade, to the extent that First Scotrail comfortably can match pretty much any train service I've used anywhere in Europe, and is often better than most.

Those who think rail services such as the Dutch are somehow better need to think again. I can hardly remember the last time I travelled on a train Holland that was on time, or wasn't packed, or wasn't filthy....you have a 1 in 20 chance of getting your ticket checked, because guards aren't interested, and fare dodging is rife.

First Scotrail offers a good service. IMHO.

[Auld_Reekie]

I have memories of Scotrail in the dark old days before First.....trains late or never turned up, old, filthy rolling stock, disninterested staff who didn't sell or collect tickets.

First have improved things out of sight in the last decade, to the extent that First Scotrail comfortably can match pretty much any train service I've used anywhere in Europe, and is often better than most.

Those who think rail services such as the Dutch are somehow better need to think again. I can hardly remember the last time I travelled on a train Holland that was on time, or wasn't packed, or wasn't filthy....you have a 1 in 20 chance of getting your ticket checked, because guards aren't interested, and fare dodging is rife.

First Scotrail offers a good service. IMHO.

Its a fair point. About 10 years ago, the ScotRail service was a national disgrace. I remember commutes to work where you wouldnt know if a train was going to show up.

However, the service today still has major failings. The number of times they've shown up with half the minimum capacity required during rush hour on the Stirling line is unforgivable.

They might have improved things but that won't excuse the current failings.