3 December 2013
Members' Session to tackle ScotRail franchise
Transform Scotland rail campaigner Paul Tetlaw writes in advance of our final Members' Session of the year, to be held on Friday 13 December.
The publication of the draft Invitation to Tender ("ITT") is the next key stage in the ScotRail franchise process. The new franchise offers a unique opportunity to deliver major improvements to the railway in Scotland and subsequent stages will see the submission of bids by April 2014 leading to the award to the successful bidder in October with the new franchise commencing on 1 April 2015.
We are pleased to see many of our proposals emerging in the ITT document and now look forward to the bidders bringing forward imaginative options that will help to deliver a railway in Scotland that is fit for the 21st century.
Of particular importance is the need to make public transport much easier to use and we look to the bidders to bring forward proposals for the roll-out of smart ticketing right across Scotland and to combine this with much greater integration between trains and other forms of transport.
Our rural lines are a great asset and as well as providing essential services to remote communities they have the potential to be developed into a superb tourist offering. By working with the tourist industry, local attractions and other operators Scotrail can really start to return these routes to the great days of rail travel.
The inter-city routes connecting the Central Belt to Inverness and Aberdeen and between these two cities have been allowed to stagnate whilst the focus of expenditure has been on improvements to the road network. During the period of the next franchise we need to see this process reversed with new longer trains, better on-board facilities and dramatic enhancements to journey times. Of course this cannot be delivered by a new franchise operator alone, we need to see the same ambition from the Government and Transport Scotland to improving these rail routes that it clearly has for the roads.
Electrification of these routes will help to deliver journey time improvements and a more efficient railway. The new franchise offers the opportunity to roll out electrification beyond the Central Belt and create an inter-city express network that is comparable to best in Europe.
At the Members' Session on December we will be discussing the new franchise so if you'd like to hear more about just what the ITT says and to put your ideas forward then come along and join us on 13 December. Please get in touch with Colin Howden in advance if you'd like to attend as places are limited.