Rural Economy and Connectivity Committee

Meeting date: Wednesday, May 9, 2018

Official Report 589KB pdf

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Rail Services

Item 2 is on rail services in Scotland. I invite members of the committee to declare any relevant interests.

I am honorary vice-president of the Friends of the Far North Line.

I co-convene the cross-party group on rail.

I am honorary president of the Scottish Association for Public Transport and honorary vice-president of Railfuture UK.

I am a member of the cross-party group on rail and the National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers parliamentary group.

Thank you. This evidence session is part of a regular update from the ScotRail Alliance to allow the committee to monitor rail issues. I welcome from the ScotRail Alliance: Alex Hynes, the managing director; Angus Thom, the chief operating officer; and David Dickson, the infrastructure director. Alex, would you like to make a short opening statement before we go on to questions?

Thank you, and good morning. I am pleased to be here again to update the committee on progress with Scotland’s railways since our last evidence session, which was in November.

As you know, our mission at Scotland’s railway is to deliver the best railway that Scotland has ever had, and we will deliver that through the introduction of new trains, faster journeys, more seats and more services for the whole country. This year, we will deliver the largest-ever capital investment in a single year in Scotland’s railway—£900 million. Delivering an investment programme on that scale while delivering a safe, clean and reliable service to our customers every day is not without challenge. Thanks to the hard work of the 7,500 people who work across the ScotRail Alliance, we remain in the top spot among the large operators in the United Kingdom for both punctuality and service quality.

However, as we know, it is not only the numbers that matter. The experience that our customers receive needs to reflect the high standards demanded of us and that we set ourselves. It was for that reason that, last year, I commissioned an independent review of train service performance. The review has made 20 recommendations, all of which we have accepted, and we are in the process of implementing them. One of the recommendations, and the first to be implemented in full, is to change our policy on skip-stopping. Although that is an effective service recovery method, we recognise that it was unpopular with customers. We have already delivered a dramatic reduction in the number of skipped stops—a 70 per cent reduction in the past four weeks—with a corresponding reduction in the number of customer complaints.

The ability of customers to get a seat—primarily, but not exclusively, in the peak period—is another area of focus for us. While we wait for Hitachi to finalise the testing of our brand new fleet, we have hired a fleet of electric trains to help restore the capacity that we lost earlier in the year and to provide more comfortable journeys for our customers as we enter the busy summer period. Driver training started this week, and those trains will enter service in July. In the coming months, customers can look forward to the introduction of those brand new Hitachi trains, iconic high-speed trains that will recreate a genuine intercity rail network for Scotland and modernised trains with free power and free wi-fi, all of which will transform the quality and capacity of Scotland’s railway to help drive jobs, growth and quality of life across the country.

Thank you. I will start with a question for Alex Hynes. In the first three months of 2018, ScotRail missed the targets in 22 out of the 34 areas. It has been reported that that has resulted in £1.6 million-worth of fines, which is nearly £400,000 more than in the previous quarter. Would you care to comment on those figures?

Of course. As part of the franchise agreement, we have signed up to the service quality incentive regime, or SQUIRE. That is the toughest regime anywhere across the UK, and it is because of that regime that we have the highest satisfaction level of any of the large operators in the UK. However, it is fair to say that our performance against the standards that are set out in that regime could be better, and we are working really hard to improve our performance in that area. Some of that relates to resourcing, and we have action plans in place to remedy some of the issues in order to improve our performance against those quality standards. It is worth saying that any funds that are generated by the regime are reinvested in further improving the quality of the rail services that we deliver.

I raised this matter in the chamber yesterday. Thank you for the information that you have given us. It strikes me that that information is very positive, but it does not address the issues that the convener raised about the 22 out of 34 areas. I wonder whether we are looking at the same statistics, because the picture can depend on which statistic is picked out. Would it not be fairer and easier if we all looked at the whole thing in the round to get an accurate picture, rather than people looking at either all the problems or all the success? I know that it is your job to be positive and give us the positive information, but I am more interested in making sure that we get accurate information.

From my perspective, the people who should judge how well Scotland’s railway is performing are its customers. That is why the national rail passenger survey is so important to us. We get that data on a six-monthly basis, and that places us in top spot among the large operators.

We have just had a question about SQUIRE, which covers all the softer factors of our services: whether the trains are clean, whether the service is working and whether we are delivering great service. It was the recent statistics that we have discussed.

The recent information that we have put out relates to train service punctuality, which is measured by the public performance measure. Did the train run? Did it call at all its scheduled stops? Did it arrive within four minutes and 59 seconds of the scheduled arrival time? That is the PPM. In the most recent period, we delivered a result of 92 per cent, which was a good result and was the highest level since September last year.

Most notably, we have changed our policy on service recovery, in essence, to stop the use of skip-stopping. That makes the delivery of the punctuality target that bit harder because, when the railway is disrupted, it takes us longer to get it back to plan. However, it is better for those customers who are impacted. There has been a massive reduction in the number of skipped stops and a corresponding reduction in the level of customer complaints that we have received.

Skip-stopping is a real issue, and I am glad that it is being addressed, but I would not want us to go back to the previous situation. The issue of skip-stopping has hit the political agenda, and you are addressing it. Can we be assured that things will stay the way that you have organised them?

Absolutely. The Donovan review, which I commissioned, made 20 recommendations, and skip-stopping was the subject of one of them. We have implemented that recommendation in full, and all the other 19 are in flight. We are not going back.

Can I ask one more question, convener?

I would like to bring in Peter Chapman on skip-stopping, but I am happy for you to ask another question.

My other question is to do with the £1.6 million in charges. Some people call them fines and some call them charges. First, is that figure accurate? Secondly, if the improvements have happened, why is there such a high level of charge?

One reason why the penalties are so large is that the regime is really tough. The Scottish Government sets very high standards for the Scottish rail network, and that is why we are in top spot in the UK for punctuality and service quality. It is fair to say that our performance against that regime could be better, and it will be better. We have strong recovery plans, and we are taking steps to get the size of the penalties down.

I will bring in Peter Chapman, although his question is not on what I said he was going to ask about; it is on what I knew he was going to ask about.

Thank you, convener. Good morning, gentlemen.

Alex Hynes has mentioned that the £1.6 million fine goes into the SQUIRE fund. I want to examine a wee bit more how you intend to use that fund, which is useful. In the recent past, the SQUIRE fund was used to give rebates on tickets, for instance. We do not think that that is necessarily the correct way to use the fund, although that was possibly a directive from the Scottish Government.

The SQUIRE fund concerns a long list of stuff. On stations, closed-circuit television and security, we seem to have fallen behind where we would like to be. Litter and contamination is another area where the level is below what we would like it to be, and you also seem to be missing the target on train seats and toilets. How are you planning to use the extra fund to make the passenger experience better?

We build up the fund, which we spend on improving the railway, and we agree with Transport Scotland how we are going to spend the money. I can give you some recent examples of the initiatives that we have funded through the SQUIRE fund. We have invested £300,000 in body cameras for our people, to help provide a safer and more secure environment for customers and staff. We are in the process of upgrading the waiting rooms of the stations that serve the Edinburgh to Glasgow line, as we prepare for the introduction of the new trains. We are looking to ensure that all the stations on the far north line are fitted with real-time customer information. Those are the sort of things that we spend the money on.

09:15  

Clearly, we always listen to, and engage with, what our customers say to us, and we have a pot of money, over and above the investment that we are already making in the franchise, that we can spend to make things better. This year, we are spending £1 billion on capital investment in Scotland’s railways. In a short period, we are spending about £2 billion on the enhancement of the railways—£1.5 billion on infrastructure and £0.5 billion on new trains. All of that is in addition to the money that we are spending anyway.

Having looked at the rules and regulations for the SQUIRE fund, I understand that it is up to ScotRail to put its recommendations to the Scottish Government on how the fund should be used. Following the committee session, could you give a list of recommendations or proposals for the use of the SQUIRE fund that you have made to the Government in the past three months?

Yes, of course—I am happy to do so.

Good morning, panel. The reality is that the SQUIRE performance figures show that there has been a fall in performance. The figures that have just been mentioned show that you met 12 of the targets in quarter 4 in 2017-18. That is compared to meeting 15 of the targets in the same quarter in 2016-17, and 19 in the same quarter in 2015-16. Performance is not improving but falling. Alex Hynes said in his opening comments that the most important people are the passengers, which is true. Behind those figures are passengers who are paying increasingly higher fares for a service that is in decline. Do you think that you owe passengers an apology for the fall in performance?

SQUIRE is not measured by customers; it is a key performance indicator regime that is measured by Transport Scotland SQUIRE inspectors.

I am aware of that, but it is the passengers who are using the trains that are not clean enough and the stations that are not up to the high standard, based on the SQUIRE performance. Ultimately, it is passengers who suffer.

That is why customer perception is important. According to the national rail passenger survey, there is an 85 per cent satisfaction rate among rail passengers in Scotland, which is up from the year before. We are in the top spot among the large operators. Can we do better? Will we do better? Absolutely.

So you do not think that the SQUIRE figures are important. One of the most important parts of the report relates to figures on CCTV cameras. The figures for the latest quarter show that there was a performance of 77.8 per cent compared with a target of 95 per cent, which is the worst performance since Abellio took over the franchise. The figure is 10 per cent lower than the figure for this time last year. There has been a fall in performance on CCTV and security in stations in the past three quarters. Is that in any way linked to staffing levels in stations with CCTV?

No. The changes that we are making to our customer information and security centres are all designed to improve customer information. A big area of focus for us is passenger information during delays. We want to improve the speed, accuracy and timeliness of information. The two issues are not related to one another.

The question was specifically on your performance on CCTV and security in stations. The SQUIRE figures show that performance was at 77.8 per cent, compared with a target of 95 per cent, which is the worst figure since the franchise was given to Abellio, and which is 10 per cent lower than the figure for this time last year. There has been a fall in the SQUIRE figures on CCTV and security in stations in the past three quarters, but you think that that is in no way related to the cuts to staffing levels in stations with CCTV.

Correct. However, that is not to say that we do not need to improve our performance in that area.

I am sorry—I have members queueing up to ask questions.

I have a quick question on train refreshment. I spend 12 hours a week on ScotRail trains, so I take a particular interest in that subject. Satisfaction with train refreshment is at 91.5 per cent, and the target is 95 per cent. Are any steps being taken to improve that? Will the introduction of the high-speed trains change the food offering?

Can we have a brief answer, please?

Yes, of course.

The food and drink offer on board is a really important part of the customer experience and the contract. We are working to ensure that we are at the full complement of staff in that area, so I am expecting an improvement there. Obviously, the introduction of the high-speed trains enables us to have an improved food and drink offer that we currently cannot deliver from a trolley-based service. We have some really exciting plans for the intercity food offer, enabled by the fact that we have a small kitchen on board. We can therefore offer hot food for the first time.

SQUIRE involves independent inspectors. Does Alex Hynes agree that some of the things on the performance figures list should not be there? I was astounded to see “Station Posters”, “Car Parks and Taxi Ranks” and “Train Posters” on the list.

It is up to Transport Scotland to decide what it wants us to deliver, and that is what it has done.

So what do you deliver in a car park and a taxi rank?

We have to consider whether white-lining and signage are in place. We also have to assess whether car parks and taxi ranks are clean and pothole free. Every single aspect of the service gets measured to a huge degree, but that is a good thing and is what underpins the quality delivered by Scotland’s railway.

I thought that I would ask.

I am going to leave that there and move on to the next set of questions, which come from John Mason.

I have a couple of questions about the infrastructure and rolling stock for the Edinburgh to Glasgow improvement programme. First, am I right in saying that the infrastructure is complete now except for Glasgow Queen Street station? Can you tell us how you are getting on with the work on the station? A constituent came to me about an issue, which was subsequently in the newspapers, to do with a partly built building that might be demolished and replaced by something else. Can you can comment on that?

Yes, of course. It is true to say that since December the core of the electrification of the Edinburgh to Glasgow route has been completed and customers have been benefiting from faster, greener and longer trains on that route. Our services are not fully electric yet, which is why we need to finalise the testing of the Hitachi fleet so that we can convert that route to a fully electric operation that will enable us to cut the journey time even further and increase the number of seats.

On the redevelopment of Queen Street station, we are now on site. It is literally a building site, and we are keeping the station open at the same time. We have nibbled away the 1970s building on the front of George Square to reveal the grade A listed shed.

The construction that your constituent asked about relates to a retail development on the North Hanover Street site, which is just to the east of the station. The Scottish Government has recently taken a decision to go for a much bolder and more ambitious scheme for that site and, as a result, a small amount of work that is being done on that site will have to be changed.

What is the date for the completion of the work on Queen Street station?

It is 2020.

That is fine. Perhaps you can give us an update on where you are with the rolling stock. We understand that there have been problems with windows or windscreens, so I would be interested to hear how that is going. I think that the commitment at the moment is to eight-car trains and a 42-minute journey—at least for some journeys—by the end of this year. Are we still on course for that?

Yes. There are two outstanding issues with the Hitachi trains: one is the windscreen and the other is the train’s software. During the testing programme, we uncovered an issue with the windscreen that saw some slight double imaging at night, which is clearly a safety issue. Hitachi has been working with its windscreen suppliers on an alternative design. That alternatively designed windscreen is being fitted to a train this week and we will then bring the train to Scotland and retest it. However, the initial indications are that the new windscreen is much better than its predecessor, which will enable us to do a campaign of windscreen replacement.

Can I press you on that point? Hitachi has been making trains for a long time and this is not a new thing, so why has it become a problem?

It is a new train design. It is not an off-the-shelf train. It has been designed for us and for Scotland. The train has some particular design characteristics that mean that it has ended up with a curved windscreen. For example, the trains have what are known as end gangways, which allow customers and staff to walk through the entire length of the train when the carriages are coupled together.

That is the point of having a testing regime. Every single aspect of the train is tested. We test the design of the train, but we also test each train individually to ensure that it is fit for purpose before we put it into traffic for customers.

Software is the other issue. We are reducing the number of outstanding software issues, so that the software is reliable enough to enter into passenger service. We expect to introduce the Hitachi trains in the coming months.

We would like to deliver 42-minute journeys on the brand new electric trains for this December. Not every service will be 42 minutes this December—that comes the following year—but that is our aspiration. Clearly, that is dependent on our having the rolling stock from Hitachi to deliver it.

For clarification, the 42-minute journey includes how many stops?

Four, and trains are doing that under test already. It is my aspiration that we do some line speed enhancement on that route, to cut the journey time even further, because those brand new electric trains reach 100mph in half the time of a diesel train and the drivers are having to throttle back—so the train performance is outstripping that of the infrastructure. I say, let us be bold and ambitious and see what can be done to exploit the full performance of the train, because it is impressive.

As part of the re-equipping of the rail system, you have released a lot of class 170s, so there are now a number of short-formed units. Roughly, how many of those are there?

We have recently lost six trains from the fleet. That is why we have hired a fleet of 10 electric trains, which will go into service in July. Essentially, four critical daily services that used to be six-car trains are now three-car trains. That is causing crowding for our customers, and we need to fix that quickly. The four critical services are morning and evening peak trains into Edinburgh and Glasgow and we must fix that as soon as we can.

I take it that the six class 170s that have been taken out have taken 36 carriages out. How many coaches do the 10 class 365s bring in?

Two two-car 158s have left the fleet and four three-car 170s have left the fleet. We have been doing some work with our heavy maintenance programme to squeeze the availability of the fleet so that we reduce the impact of that by a net two cars. The 10 trains that we are bringing in on short-term hire are electric trains and they are four-car trains.

My arithmetic says that, leaving aside the better exploitation of what you have got by changing the maintenance arrangements, you have taken 16 carriages out and you are bringing 40 in.

Yes. The short-term hires will more than replace the capacity that we lost earlier this year.

That is fine.

On another point, in an attempt to redistribute the traffic, you have introduced lower fares on the Edinburgh to Glasgow via Airdrie line. How successful has that been?

It has been very successful, because customers have benefited from the lower fare. We implemented that in March to encourage customers who might have a choice of travelling between Edinburgh and Glasgow to take the Airdrie to Bathgate route, so that we could decongest the main Edinburgh to Glasgow via Falkirk High route. It is costing us a lot of money but it was the right thing to do for customers.

09:30  

Once you get the new Hitachi trains in place, trains will be moved in various ways. The old InterCity 125s are being upgraded and will, I believe, go back into service on the Aberdeen to Edinburgh line from May 2018. Is that correct? How is that coming along? Given that it is May already, is it going to happen on time? Can you tell us a wee bit about how the refurbishment of those trains is going?

The contractual commitment date for the first high-speed train is June. We are working hard with the heavy overhauler who is refurbishing the fleet in Doncaster to bring the train up to Scotland as soon as possible, so that we can start to operate preview services for customers. I think that it is fair to say that the project has been a challenge. We are working closely with the overhauler to get the train here as soon as we can.

The trains, which have come from First Great Western, will be thoroughly refurbished. We are going to improve the quality of the seating and the seat pitch—we will line seats up with windows and introduce more tables. I have talked about the hot food offer. We are going to transform the quality and capacity of the longer-distance routes. Three-and-a-half-hour journeys will switch from a three-car diesel train to a four-car or five-car intercity train with the engines at each end, which will provide intercity levels of quality and transform the customer experience on longer-distance routes. We hope to introduce the first service between Aberdeen and Edinburgh very shortly. It is unlikely to be this month, as there have been some short delays with the heavy overhauler, but we are working as fast as we can to remedy the situation. Angus Thom might want to add something on the high-speed train programme.

As Alex Hynes mentioned, there will be a full refurbishment of the interiors and exteriors of the InterCity 125s, or HSTs. For example, all-access toilets are being fitted. A big change is that the trains will no longer be fitted with slam doors as they were under First Great Western. We are fitting new electrically operated doors to the trains, which is better for passengers and for our dispatch times. The trains are getting a comprehensive overhaul before they come up here. The mark 3 coach is an open space with a nice open feel, which will provide a better environment for customers who are travelling between Scotland’s major cities.

You have described the internal changes, which sound fine, but what about the mechanical aspect? Those trains have been on the go for a long time. Will they get a mechanical overhaul at the same time? Is that part of the process?

Part of the process will involve replacing some of the components. Many of the trains are going through major heavy maintenance programmes and overhaul in addition to the internal refurbishment. The engines are less than 10 years old—they are not 40-year-old engines, as the trains were re-engined a few years ago, and the replacement engine is fairly reliable. There is more to the process than simply a refresh of the interiors.

For several months, we have been running four driver-training trains across Scotland without problems or incident. Those trains have not necessarily had the full refurbishment, but they are operating in Scotland to train our drivers and train crew.

I would like some clarity. Alex Hynes said that the date is unlikely to be May. It is already May. Is it unlikely to be June and more likely to be July, or is it more likely to be June than July? Is it likely to be this summer? Do you have a date?

I am not in a position to give a firm date, because we are still working with Wabtec Rail—the company that is doing the heavy overhaul—to ensure that we have a robust plan to deliver the first refurbished train in Scotland. Originally, we wanted to go above and beyond the contractual date of June to deliver something for the timetable change in May. Sadly, that now looks unlikely, but we are working with Wabtec to bring in the first refurbished train as soon as we can. I cannot make a firm commitment—

With the greatest respect, you will have had an indication of when the delivery is going to take place. I am trying to get an indication from you of when that will be. It would be helpful for the passengers who use the service to have an idea of the date, so I would like you to try to answer the question with a bit more certainty than you have already given.

It is my aspiration that we put the first train into service in July, but that is contingent on the heavy overhauler producing a fully refurbished train.

The aspiration is for July. Does that mean that it is likely to be August? We will leave it there and move on to the next question.

I always say that it will be ready when it is ready.

I want to talk about the rolling programme of electrification. I have a declaration to make: I stay right beside the Holytown junction. When will the electrification from Holytown to the Midcalder junction be finished? Can you give us a progress update on the Shotts line electrification project? Have all the bridges been raised?

The deadline for that project is March 2019. It is on time and on budget. We learned a lot of lessons from the electrification of the Edinburgh to Glasgow line, which we have applied to the electrification of the Shotts line—that is what we call your line—as well as the electrification of the Stirling, Dunblane and Alloa line. The first section of Stirling, Dunblane and Alloa electrification is being switched on as we speak, which is a really good news story.

I am not aware of any outstanding issues with the bridges being raised. Perhaps David Dickson has more detail on that.

I am not aware of any issues, either. We can easily clarify that after the meeting.

So it has all gone well.

From an infrastructure perspective, the enhancement programme in Scotland is going very well indeed. From the rolling programme of electrification of the Aberdeen to Inverness line and the Highland main line improvements to redevelopment of Queen Street station, the deadlines for all those projects are due to be delivered within the overall funding envelope.

Is there any hold-up from Network Rail? Is it working well with you on electrification?

Together, we are an alliance—ScotRail and Network Rail work together. The closeness of that relationship, running track and train together, is one reason why Scotland’s railway outperforms that of south of the border.

I agree.

Mr Hynes, I will ask a question about the Highland main line that contains a reference to timetabling. If you do not go into it too deeply, I will ask a supplementary question specifically on timetabling.

My question is on the suggestion by the Network Rail monitor at the Office of Rail and Road that there is a risk to the delivery of the Highland main line improvements due to the lengthy timetabling process. I need not remind you, but, for the Official Report, there is a prediction of a reduction in journey times of 10 minutes, hourly services to the central belt and a challenging and more efficient use of freight. Will those things be delivered?

The Highland main line infrastructure will be delivered and will improve the service on that line. We are not able to absolutely confirm the exact journey time, the stopping pattern or the frequency of the service on that line of route, because we need to check how the trains are pathed, particularly for freight. That is why we are currently conducting a consultation about the possible timetable on that line of route. The infrastructure is on time and on budget, and we are undertaking a consultation about the fine detail of the train service that we can operate on the infrastructure once it is complete.

Thank you for that answer. I was in touch with your staff, and I am grateful to them for their response on the issue—which is of concern to me, Kate Forbes and other colleagues—of the implications of the tension between the aspiration to reduce journey times and the expectations of communities that they will benefit. The journey times might be brought about by a reduced number of stops—how will that fit together? I am aware that there is on-going consultation, which is welcome, but there is a tension there. How can it be delivered?

I will give you the specifics in the reply that I received, but I will not go into the detail. An average of four people per day would board that particular train, and your staff estimate that, each day, 350 to 400 people would be adversely affected later on. Will it always be a numbers game? The fear that we have in the Highlands is that the larger numbers affected would impact on the service.

We need to strike the right balance between frequency and journey times, which is not always easy, particularly on infrastructure that is constrained by single-track sections, for example. That is one reason why we are investing a lot of money to take single-track sections out of Scotland’s railway. They compromise the ability to provide a great train service.

Over the years, we have seen the timetable evolve. In the consultation, we are saying that the introduction of high-speed trains gives us an opportunity to review what we might do to exploit their capability. The train fleet is getting bigger—the number of carriages in the fleet is increasing from 800 to 1,000 in the next 18 months—and that will enable us to operate high-speed services between the Highlands and the central belt with faster journey times. Because we will have more carriages, we will also be able to operate more semi-fast services. That is a change, and we need to get it right, which is why the consultation is important.

Any improvements are welcome, but there has been a reduction in the initial proposal to see additional double tracking at Aviemore and Pitlochry. Does that impact in any way on the overall aim of reducing journey times or, indeed, on the frequency of trains? I understand that the original proposal was more doubling.

No, I do not believe so. Timetables are very complicated things. It is not just ScotRail services that we have to accommodate; other operators’ train services and freight also have to be accommodated. It is inevitable that the timetable process means that compromises have to be made. That is why we are carrying out the consultation. If your constituents have any concerns in that regard, I encourage them to take part in that consultation and make their voices heard. We will come up with the best proposal that balances the competing priorities.

I have a couple of final questions about the Highland main line. Increasing freight on it is a challenge, and I understand that it is pretty much at capacity as it is. Can that increase be achieved? Are you in consultation with the freight companies?

Obviously, we want Scotland’s railway to have more freight services. Freight in Scotland is down by 80 per cent because the Longannet coal-fired power station was closed. That means that we have some capacity on the network that we can use for the markets, so we are working with business and the Scottish Government to develop new markets for rail freight. A specific opportunity on that line is to work with Highland Spring to get its produce on rail. That looks like a really good prospect that would be great for freight on rail in Scotland, but it would, of course, add to the capacity issue.

You should ask your final question, Mr Finnie.

I will roll two questions together, convener. When will the consultation process finish? Will you give a brief update on the Inverness to Aberdeen project, please? Are there similar challenges there?

The consultation is live. I do not have an end date for it, but I can confirm that to the committee later.

The Aberdeen to Inverness project is on time and on budget—the figure is £330 million—to improve the train service between Aberdeen and Inverness and the train services into Aberdeen and into Inverness so that there are really great commuter services to allow people to access employment. We have completed the west end works—the track, the signalling and the new station at Forres, for example—and we have moved to the east end of the route. There is a 14-week closure of the line between Dyce and Aberdeen to enable us to deliver the work as quickly as we can.

We conducted a consultation with the communities on that line in which we asked whether they would like us to deliver the project over three years, in the evenings and at weekends, with a number of shorter closures, or whether they would prefer two bigger-bang engineering closures. They very clearly chose the latter, and that work is therefore being done during the 14-week blockade that has just started.

Thank you very much.

That was quite a full answer, but I would be happy to let you back in, John.

09:45  

People might get used to using their car or another alternative during those 14 weeks. How will you promote the reuse of the train service after that period? I appreciate that you are introducing an enhanced service, but is promoting the service part of the programme?

Yes, it will be. We are doing more and better marketing than we have ever done, and restimulating demand for rail travel is a key part of that. We have learned a lot of lessons about how to do that, following the Queen Street closure, and we will apply those in this case.

I congratulate you, because my Huntly to Linlithgow journey—even with a bus for part of it—has lengthened by only two minutes. That is a masterclass in how to do the scheduling.

Thank you.

I will leave that one there. Kate Forbes has a question.

I hope that this will be another masterclass. Moving over to the west coast, and further to John Finnie’s questions, I have a question on the west Highland line. I understand that you are members of the new west Highland line review group, which will look at timetabling, other improvements to infrastructure and getting more investment into the line. Obviously, there is a great opportunity to get cars and freight off the A82 and a huge potential for tourists who want to see iconic sites along the west Highland route. What are your plans for improvements to timetables and infrastructure on the line?

The first thing that we will do is improve the quality of the rolling stock on that line. The train for the fleet that currently operates on the line is called the class 156 and it is a diesel train. We are thoroughly refurbishing that fleet, and we will have completed that investment programme by the end of next year. The trains will have new lighting, new seating, free wi-fi, power and so on in order to create a thoroughly comfortable and modern environment.

We are doing some work to see what infrastructure changes we would need to make on the west Highland line in order to operate a different type of rolling stock, called the class 158, on the line. The additional benefit of that class is that it has air conditioning. We have also refurbished the class 158 train to improve its scenic aspect by lining seats up with the windows. We are doing that on many parts of the line and, indeed, we are undertaking record amounts of vegetation management to remove trees from the immediate line side. That is good for safety and performance, but it is also good for tourism.

When I was up in Lochaber recently, with the transport forum, people told me that they wanted to see additional train services. Other stakeholders have expressed a wish to have improved journey times. Obviously, the journey times by road are shorter than those by train. Therefore, I welcome the establishment of the review group, because it will enable us to thrash out what the priorities for the line are and to build a plan to achieve them.

The success that we are having on the far north line shows what can be done when people have a strong vision of the railway’s potential. We invest to make it better, and we are looking forward to doing the same on the west Highland line.

Just for clarification, what are the timescales for the improvements to the rolling stock?

All the existing rolling stock that operates on the west Highland line will be refurbished by the end of next year, so every service will be operated by a refurbished class 156. We are doing some work in parallel to see what changes need to be made to the infrastructure to enable the operation of that higher-quality train. We have to make sure that the infrastructure and the train are compatible with each other, given that different trains are different sizes.

The trains will be operational—we hope—by the end of 2019, and the infrastructure will be prepared for that.

The class 156 fleet that currently operates on the west Highland is being refurbished as we speak. Those who use the service will see more and more refurbished trains every month operating on that route, and every single one will be refurbished by the end of next year.

On the issue of infrastructure, the review group is examining whether the priority is journey time or frequency, or both, and what improvements we could deliver through some infrastructure work. Clearly, we would have to work with the Scottish Government to make a business case for that investment.

You have mentioned free wi-fi on several occasions. I think that the wi-fi offer is to be commended, but there are still areas where people on trains—as I am on Tuesdays and Thursday nights—miss the wi-fi because it is not available across all of your network. Can you confirm that you are looking to secure better coverage? I am not criticising what you have at the moment; I would just like it to be better.

There are three things in the pipeline that will make wi-fi on ScotRail better. First, as we renew and refurbish the fleet, all trains will be fitted with free wi-fi. Secondly, that free wi-fi works only where a 3G or 4G signal is available and, as mobile connectivity improves through the mobile operators, the on-board experience will also get better. Thirdly, we are doing a trial on a network with Cisco to see what we might do to deliver the fastest wi-fi that is available on any train anywhere in the world. That trial is happening as we speak, and we are excited by the prospect. If it works, we will make some proposals to the Scottish Government about what it could do in that regard across the network.

Good morning. I apologise for missing the opening part of the session.

I have two distinct questions. First, I would like the panel’s view on how ScotRail can play a bigger part in promoting modal shift in Scotland—that is, how can we get more people off the road and on to trains through improvements to things such as bicycle parking at stations, car parking at stations, the capacity of train carriages to carry bicycles and so on? Any news, updates or views on that would be helpful.

Our current marketing campaign specifically targets road users and highlights the benefits of travelling by train, such as the fact that passengers can be productive and use that time as they wish. As we speak, we have some advertising hoardings on the sides of lorries that are going around congested Scottish cities to make that point directly to car drivers who are sitting in traffic jams.

With regard to making it easy to access the rail network, all the rolling stock is being refurbished so that it is fully accessible. That creates flexible space, so we can increase the number of bikes that we can get on trains. We have a big investment programme to increase the number of car and bicycle parking spaces across the network. We also have a transport integration strategy and a manager, and we are putting investment into that area.

It is also fair to say that, in this five-year control period, which Network Rail is regulated by, we are due to underspend in Scotland, which is a great achievement. That is, in part, a result of the fact that the investment programme is on time and on budget, and those investments are handing back contingency because they do not need it. We are looking to see what can be done quickly in the next 12 months to upgrade the current programme of investment in car parking in order to create more spaces.

Improving the accessibility of the railway is a key part of our strategy, because, with the additional seats that we have and the increased frequencies, we will have 40 per cent more seats to sell.

I had a potential supplementary question on underspend, but I will park that. Someone else can pick up on that issue, if they want.

Mr Hynes, what is your view on the recent headlines about the views of the Rail Delivery Group and passenger user groups on the complicated ticketing system that exists in the United Kingdom? Apparently, there are 55 million combinations of tickets available. Those groups have called for a root-and-branch review and reform of the system. Do you think that there should be reform of ticket pricing in the UK? What changes do you think would most benefit the commuter?

It is certainly something that we should take a look at. I talk to customers, and they find the fares and ticketing system very complicated. I heard a great example of that last week, when I was at a public meeting in Elgin. Someone travelling between Elgin and the central belt can go either via Inverness or via Aberdeen, and the fares are different. If they split the ticket, however, they get a cheaper price. That is difficult to explain to customers.

The fares and ticketing system is essentially the same as it was 20 years ago, but adjusted for inflation. There are definitely opportunities for us to make fares and ticketing simpler for customers to understand, which would be good for them, as they would then use the train more often.

I think that Gail Ross has a supplementary question.

I do. Good morning, panel. You talk about accessibility. In the other committee of which I am a member, we have been hearing that people with disabilities sometimes have difficulties in accessing the system. That includes people with physical disabilities getting on and off trains. There are also issues concerning people with visual impairments accessing timetables and so on. How do you propose to address those issues?

Every single train in the fleet will be fully accessible by the end of next year. They will have audio and visual information systems to help sight-impaired people, and they will have disabled toilets. We have two people on board every train in Scotland, which helps to provide greater assistance for those people who need a bit more help.

We have an accessibility forum, through which groups representing certain categories of customers who might need a bit of extra help can work with us to improve the service that we provide. We already have big investment programmes to improve the accessibility of the network, and we work with several groups in order to do even better on that agenda. It is a big opportunity for us.

The challenge lies in stations, but that is why, every time we go in, we invest in new station infrastructure, such as at Forres and Glasgow Queen Street stations. We make the station fully accessible, and we build it to the latest accessibility standards to ensure that Scotland’s railway is accessible to all.

I will let you come in, John, but I ask you to keep your question as brief as possible.

This is a short supplementary question. I hope that I heard Mr Hynes correctly. Do you have two people on every train? Is that an announcement? Are you telling us that you are going to reverse the driver-only operating arrangements in the Strathclyde area?

In Strathclyde, we have driver-only operation, which means that the train is capable of being operated without a second person on board. However, we roster a ticket examiner on board every one of those trains. A recent area of focus for me, Angus Thom and the team has been to reduce the number of services that run without a ticket examiner to only a handful each day. We have been working with our staff and our trade unions to improve our performance in that area, which is measured by SQUIRE, and that forms part of our SQUIRE improvement plan.

That person is not a safety-critical guard.

No, they are not.

You will be aware that the consumer organisation Which? recently raised concerns about how passengers access the delay repay compensation scheme. In the light of those concerns, are you going to look into how that scheme is operated? Do you have any plans to make compensation automatic?

We proactively push delay repay. When we have train service disruption, we tell customers that they are entitled to delay repay and we tell them how to claim it.

The industry—not just ScotRail—has recently changed the national rail conditions of carriage to reflect the Consumer Rights Act 2015. In the past, passengers got their delay repay and there was no consequential loss. We have changed the national rail conditions of carriage, which apply to ScotRail, and they now say that, if someone has suffered a consequential loss, they are free to make a claim and we will consider it on its merits.

We are considering a couple of things to further improve the compensation scheme for customers. In some other places, compensation is being paid at a lower threshold—for example, if there is a 15-minute delay rather than a 30-minute delay. As you say, some operators make the compensation automatic. We are doing a piece of work at the moment to see what could be done in that regard.

That brings us to the end of this evidence session. Thank you, Alex, Angus and David, for giving evidence to the committee.

10:00 Meeting suspended.  

10:06 On resuming—