Iain Gray MSP and Martin Whitfield have welcomed the news that the Scottish Government intends to ensure ScotRail services will be run by the public sector at the end of the current franchise arrangements in March 2022.
The announcement follows a long campaign by Scottish Labour and rail unions for rail passenger services to be brought into public ownership, which the SNP have repeatedly refused to support in the past.
 
Iain Gray MSP said:
“This is welcome news, although the SNP’s reluctance to act on this issue has subjected rail users to years of unnecessary delays, overcrowding and cancelled services. Now we must wait another year for any real change to happen.
 
“When SNP ministers awarded the contract to Abellio they told us we would have world leading services but for far too many that was not their experience. Rail users in East Lothian and across Scotland have been let down in yet another failure from this SNP government.”
Martin Whitfield said:
 
“The SNP have had ample opportunity to rethink how our railways are run and find us a route out of the costly franchise system. Instead, they failed to deliver on price, capacity and passenger satisfaction, much to the disgust of commuters in East Lothian.  
 
“SNP Ministers could have acted on this much earlier. They must now get their act together and deliver a public sector operator that protects staff, delivers excellent value for passengers, and ensures our rail system is a fit-for-purpose, truly world-leading service in the years to come.” 
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