Extract from Scottish Parliament General Question Time: ScotRail (Meetings) - Feb 8

To ask the Scottish Government when it will next meet ScotRail. (S5O-01774)

Ministers and Transport Scotland officials regularly meet representatives of ScotRail to discuss a wide range of issues relating to rail services.

When he does next meet ScotRail, will the minister discuss the East Kilbride to Glasgow train line, with particular reference to a passenger count that I have been assured was being done? I do not have the results of that yet, but I am concerned about reports that the number of passengers has decreased on the East Kilbride to Glasgow line. Could it be placed on the record at that meeting with ScotRail that the absolutely convincing argument that commuters have come to me with is that the decrease has happened because travelling on that line is a nightmare, due to the shortage of carriages and overcrowding, and because people are being forced to leave trains before their required stops?

Linda Fabiani has rightly raised the East Kilbride line on many occasions. I am familiar with that line because, as she knows, I have travelled on it frequently as it is the service that gets me home.

I will ensure that members across the chamber are given the findings of the independent review on performance that is taking place. That review concludes soon.

I know that Linda Fabiani has met ScotRail representatives, and its managing director, Alex Hynes, is very aware of the issues on the East Kilbride line. I will ask about where we are with the passenger counts and feed that back to the member in writing, if she does not mind.

Conversations are going on at the moment about the possible retention of class 156 trains. If that deal can be struck and we can hold on to them for longer, that will help with some of the overcrowding. The longer-term plan is, of course, to get the Hitachi class 385 trains in, which will allow the cascading of rolling stock across the network.

I assure the member, and those members who have raised the Fife circle line, that we know that it and the East Kilbride line are the two lines that need urgent attention. Linda Fabiani is right to continue to raise the issue with me and I will make sure that she is kept up to date.

Linda Fabiani is right to raise the issue. Recent figures show that passenger numbers have fallen at East Kilbride and Hairmyres, but not at all stations on the line. That stands to reason, because the service at East Kilbride is so poor.

The minister referred to an independent review and said, rather vaguely, that that will publish its results soon. What does he mean by “soon”? Can he be more specific?

When will we get an actual answer on when the line will be fully dualled and electrified?

Will the minister provide an update as to when the newer rolling stock will be fully instated on the two Inverclyde lines?

The member will be aware that we are investing heavily in class 385 trains for the Inverclyde routes. There will be about 234 carriages in the 70 trains, which will gradually be introduced across the network. Having seen the new 385s in the Newton Aycliffe plant, I can say that they are fantastic rolling stock. In order to make allowances and allocations, drivers need to go through training. When we have a sufficient number of new 385s, they can be introduced and we can phase out and replace the older class 314 trains that run on the Inverclyde routes at the moment, and we can also free up more class 380 trains.

As has been publicly documented, we are having issues with Hitachi with regard to delivering those trains to the schedule that has been agreed, but we will continue to push Hitachi on the matter. I will get the most up-to-date progress report from my officials and feed it back to Stuart McMillan as best I can. I promise that we are working hard to get those trains and new rolling stock, which will revolutionise our rail network right across Scotland.

The public performance monitoring figures and moving annual average figures for the East Kilbride line are generally above the national average. However, that is not to dismiss the concerns that Graham Simpson and Linda Fabiani have raised, particularly those about overcrowding. That problem is well recognised in the figures that we see, and I understand why the member raises his points.

On the question about when the independent review will be ready, I say, with the greatest respect, that it is an independent review. I would not want to be seen to interfere by asking for it to be accelerated. I have to give Nick Donovan, a well-respected railway expert, the time to complete his review, but he understands that there is some urgency. When the findings come to me, it will be for ScotRail to decide how they are appropriately shared with members across the chamber.

On the point about electrification and dualling of lines, I have said to the member previously that it is for local authorities and regional transport partnerships to go through the Scottish transport appraisal guidance process, to go through the guide to railway investment projects process, and to present the Government with a fully robust business case. With control period 6 coming up, there are opportunities for further rail enhancements. It is for the local authority, the regional transport partnership, the promoters and others to take the initiative.

I gently say to the member that when it comes to funding new railway stations and new railway projects, we are not helped by the fact that the United Kingdom Government is slashing our railway budget for control period 6 by at least £400 million.