Annual rail performance figures for Scotland released

The Service Quality Incentive Regime (SQUIRE) report relates to the final year performance of the previous ScotRail franchise, covering 1 April 2014 to the day when the new Abellio-ScotRail Franchise started, on 31 March 2015.

As part of the ScotRail Franchise agreement, an inspection team monitors 18 areas of station and 16 areas of train service quality, including ticket offices, shelters, graffiti and timetables. For trains it includes seating, cleanliness, toilets and staff.

Through the SQUIRE system, ScotRail receives bonuses for above benchmark performance and penalties for areas that fall below benchmark. Total Penalties incurred by First ScotRail totalled £576k (before RPI) for the year to 31 March 2015, an increase of £127k compared to last year’s total of £449k penalties.

Whilst improvements were seen over the period in areas including station graffiti and station shelters, other areas such as train cleanliness and train graffiti received increased penalties on last year.

SQUIRE aims to drive quality improvements in rail services and facilities; it has a reputation as one of the toughest regimes of its kind in the UK and continues to have positive impacts in diving up standards on Scotland’s railways.

In the recently published Spring 2015 National Rail Passenger Survey showed that First ScotRail performed better than the average for UK train operators – scoring 87%, compared to a UK average of 80%.

Minister for Transport and Islands, Derek Mackay, said: “SQUIRE is commonly recognised as one of the most rigorous and effective method of performance assessment for any rail franchise in the UK.

“I am confident that the system of penalties and rewards which are awarded through SQUIRE is very effective at driving up the standard of Scotland’s railways, a fact which is repeatedly borne out by the National Rail Passenger Survey time and again places ScotRail above the UK average in terms of passenger satisfaction and performance.

“Transport Scotland are continuing to work with the new franchise holder to ensure that these high standards are upheld, that management are focussing on addressing the issues that are most important to the public, and that we continue to run a safe, clean and reliable rail service across the whole of Scotland.”

ENDS