Constituency MSP Jackie Baillie has criticised the SNP Government’s mismanagement of our railways after fines against ScotRail have reached £11.2m during the current franchise, so far.

The latest figures show that almost two-thirds of rail-performance targets were missed in the third-quarter of last year, causing the franchise to be fined £790,558 for failing passengers during this period. And a total of £11.2m of fines have been handed out for these repeated failures under the current Abellio franchise.

The total is set to grow unless performance significantly improves. Passengers travelling from Dumbarton, Balloch and Helensburgh have experienced daily delays and cancellations since October last year and now short formed carriages are fast becoming a nightmare as passengers are squeezed on to rush hour trains with 3 carriages instead of six..

The MSP continues to raise local issues with both Alex Hynes, Managing Director of the ScotRail Alliance, and the Cabinet Secretary for Transport, Michael Mathieson.

Jackie said:

“The SNP’s mismanagement of our railways is causing chaos for passengers and has resulted in more than £11m worth of fines during the current franchise so far.

“The Transport Secretary has repeatedly turned a blind eye to the problems in the transport system and has allowed Abellio to miss target after target.

“Passengers deserve a reliable train service. It’s time to end the chaos on our railways and the suffering of hard-pressed commuters across the country.”

ENDS