Extract from Scottish Parliament General Question Time: Drumchapel Station (Stop-skipping) - April 26

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to concerns raised by commuters regarding the level of stop-skipping by services that are scheduled to call at Drumchapel station. (S5O-02021)

One of the recommendations from the recent Donovan review of performance was a specific initiative detailing a series of steps to recover performance following disruption to services, and changes in operating policy to reduce the skipping of stops.

I am pleased to advise the member that since the start of the year, the percentage of services running across the rail network that have been affected by the practice of stop-skipping has reduced from 1.1 per cent to 0.5 per cent, and we expect that figure to reduce further in the coming months.

In terms of Drumchapel station specifically, the extent of skipping stops has fallen from 50 reported incidences in the four weeks ending Saturday 30 December to 10 reported incidences in the four weeks ending Saturday 14 April. That works out as approximately 0.3 per cent of the services planned to stop at Drumchapel over the latter four-week period. I would hope to see that figure being reduced even further.

I asked that question to emphasise the damage that Abellio is doing to its own reputation and, by extension, to the Scotrail franchise, due to this practice.

I do not think that that was really a question, minister, but you can comment.

I think that it is important, and I agree with the member that there is nothing more frustrating to the passenger or commuter than being on a train and seeing it whiz by its stop. It does reputational damage, and that is why the Donovan review is important. That is why we have seen a reduction in stop-skipping, and that is why we will continue to press to see further reduction in this practice. The anecdotal evidence from the past four to six weeks since the Donovan review has been very positive and shows that it is working.

The minister is aware that ending this practice was one of the key recommendations in the Donovan report. Can the minister tell me whether the number of incidents of missing stops is included in Scotrail’s monthly performance statistics and, if it is not, why not? Will he commit to asking Scotrail to publish those statistics on a monthly basis, so that we can monitor whether the practice has truly ended?

The statistics are incredibly easy to find. If the member wishes to see specific statistics, he can ask Scotrail for them. [Interruption.] I can hear some chuntering in the chamber about stopping the practice altogether. If one speaks to those running the franchise, train drivers, conductors and others—as I know that Jamie Greene has done—they will say that they minimise skip-stopping. In some instances, it might have to be done to recover services, because otherwise there would be a knock-on effect on the rest of the rail network.

Clearly, passengers and commuters should be informed of skip-stopping before they get on the train, as opposed to when they are on the train. That is one of the key Donovan recommendations.

In terms of statistics, I will certainly reflect on what the member has said. If there are specific statistics that he wishes, we will make sure that he is provided with them.