Extract from Scottish Parliament debate on ScotRail Services (Mid Scotland and Fife) - Feb 1

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with ScotRail regarding train punctuality and stop-skipping in the Mid Scotland and Fife region. (S5O-01724)

As I said to Alex Rowley in the chamber last week, I completely understand the frustrations of poor performance for the customer experience, and I recognise that ScotRail has faced a number of issues and challenges across the rail network, particularly in the recent autumn and winter months, and not least in the Mid Scotland and Fife region. I fully expect the performance issues to be addressed immediately. I speak regularly to Alex Hynes and, as I have mentioned in the chamber and as I think Liz Smith is aware, ScotRail has instigated an independent review to look at performance, and stop-skipping will be part of that. My Transport Scotland officials will continue to monitor the situation closely.

At last week’s general question time, I agreed to organise and facilitate a meeting with Fife MSPs, and I believe that Liz Smith has responded positively to that. We are still waiting for diaries to co-ordinate for one or two MSPs, but that meeting will take place. At that meeting, we will be able to hear from ScotRail how it looks to improve its performance and minimise stop-skipping.

I thank the minister for that answer and acknowledge his willingness to discuss the matter. It is very good news that members will be permitted to meet him and Alex Hynes later this month. However, we all await the important answers, not least because of the safety issues, to the questions that were raised on stop-skipping in their regions by Christine Grahame and John Finnie. Can the minister put on the agenda for the forthcoming meeting the alleged congestion on the central Fife lines and the accuracy—or inaccuracy, in some cases—of the notice board information at stations when such problems arise?

Yes, I will be happy to put that on the agenda. To try to reassure Liz Smith, I note that 2018 is a significant year for increasing our capacity on the railways. We are expecting the 385 trains to come from Hitachi, and we know that high-speed trains will be coming. All of that will allow more carriages to be cascaded across the network. The capacity issues in Fife—I know that there are similar issues for the East Kilbride line—are at the top of the agenda when it comes to considering increased capacity. However, I am more than happy for the issues that Liz Smith outlined to be on the agenda for the forthcoming meeting.

The minister seems to have answered my question, so I will give him something else to think about at the forthcoming meeting. As well as the problem of stop-skipping, there is an on-going problem for the East Kilbride line regarding passengers being put off trains at stations before the ones that they are returning to. Can that issue also be placed on the agenda for the forthcoming meeting?

The meeting is specifically on Fife issues, but I will pass on to others the issue that Linda Fabiani has raised. I think that she might have met the new managing director of ScotRail, but if she has not, I will make arrangements for that.

The occurrence of stop-skipping on the East Kilbride line is relatively low, but performance in the autumn and winter has not been what it should have been, and I can see that, for passengers on the East Kilbride line—I am frequently one of them, because I often use that line—that would cause disruption, delay and frustration. Linda Fabiani has rightly been consistent and persistent about rail issues in East Kilbride. I give her the reassurance that I just gave Liz Smith, which is that when the new trains and rolling stock are here, we will be able to cascade them and have increased capacity, specifically on the East Kilbride line.