We’re really pleased to announce that transport group Abellio will be running the new ScotRail franchise.
They were chosen by Transport Scotland to operate and make improvements to Scotland's national rail network and hope to exceed the expectations of the Scottish Government.
Jeff Hoogesteger, CEO of Abellio Group, said “Abellio is delighted and incredibly excited to have been given this opportunity to manage Scotland’s national rail network. We look forward to delivering significant new benefits for passengers ... Highlights will include new trains between Glasgow and Edinburgh, upgraded intercity services, better connectivity and journey times, a £1m community rail programme, and an employee gain share scheme.”
Here are just some of our plans to transform ScotRail for passengers over the next few years:
- Brand new trains between Edinburgh and Glasgow as part of the EGIP project
- Eighty new trains by the end of 2017
- Free wifi capability in all carriages
- Improved catering services for passengers
- More toilets, luggage space and bike accommodation
- Improved journey times and connectivity between key Scottish cities
- A major investment programme for stations such as Aberdeen, Inverness, Perth and Stirling
- Exciting new fares and better value for money
- A new carnet to allow customers to choose where they want to travel , how many tickets they want to buy and how long they need them to be valid
- Community outreach programmes and Community Ambassadors
- More ticket choice with Smartcards, including cycle hire and car parking
- New, fully staffed “Cyclepoints” at the key city hubs and a Bike&Go cycle hire scheme
- Specialist staff training and a new “Passenger Assist” app to allow staff to track disabled passengers throughout their journey
- 7% reduction in traction CO2 and a 15% reduction in non-traction CO2 emissions
We look forward to making ScotRail a world class example of the future of passenger rail services.