ScotRail fined £483,000 for failing to meet standards

[whole diary]

[Chris from Nailsea]

From the Herald Scotland:

ScotRail fined £483,000 for failing to meet standards



ScotRail has been fined £483,000 for failing to meet required standards for trains and stations.

The latest performance results, covering the period between July and September, showed the franchise failed to meet a number of targets in areas including station toilets, ticket machines, and train seats, toilets and cleanliness.

The inspection results come as ScotRail, operated by Dutch firm Abellio, has faced criticism for delayed, cancelled and overcrowded trains.

They show targets were not met in five out of 17 areas of station performance, and 10 out of 17 quality categories for trains.

Penalties or rewards are issued by Transport Scotland depending on the quarterly performance against a benchmark set by the Service Quality Incentive Regime (Squire). Fines are reinvested into the rail network.

Squire inspectors audit 353 stations and around 200 trains every four weeks. Service areas inspected range from toilets and timetables to train cleanliness, graffiti, staff service and the public address system.

The inspections cover all stations in Scotland, with the exception of Prestwick International Airport, Lockerbie, Edinburgh Waverley and Glasgow Central Station, as ScotRail is not the lead operator at these stations.

ScotRail achieved an overall score of 92.21% against a benchmark of 93.12%.

Transport Minister Humza Yousaf, said: "The Squire regime is a fundamental part of our efforts to improve the passenger experience and it is the toughest regime of its kind in the UK^▸ (United Kingdom). A dedicated band of inspectors who check trains and stations every day of every month handing out penalties to the operator wherever faults are found.

"The latest quarter two results show a combined penalty of £483,000, and penalties to date for ScotRail's performance within Squire currently stands at £2.2 million. This indicates further improvements can, and will, be made in terms of aspects of service delivery such as improvements in station shelters, train doors, train toilets and train announcements, as such Transport Scotland have requested remedial action plans from ScotRail to focus on improving the performance in these areas."

Phil Verster, managing director of the ScotRail Alliance, said: "When we took over the franchise, we signed up to an even tougher Squire scheme than had been in place in previous years. We did this because we know that being part of a tough scheme will mean that our staff will always be focused on delivering the best possible service to our customers. These figures show that, even although we are delivering in lots of areas, we can never stop striving to improve even further."

He added: "We have announced our largest ever train improvement plan. Over the course of the next few years we will be spending £475 million on new and refurbished trains as well as great services like enhanced wi-fi and at-seat power sockets."

[TaplowGreen]

...........a fine which will be paid to the Government, who will hand it back via their subsidy. Genius.

[Tim]

...........a fine which will be paid to the Government, who will hand it back via their subsidy. Genius.

AIUI^▸ ('as I understand it') Scotrail isn't a management contract.  It is a proper franchise.  The subsidy will be paid to them the same rate regardless of this fine.  Whilst the expectation of receiving fine like this might cause bidders to up their prices in future tenders, this is £483,000 less profit that the current franchisee has.   

If their service had been up to scratch they would have avoided this fine (and pocketed £483,000) so it is a genuine incentive.

These fines make much more sense than the ones levied on NR^» (Network Rail - home page). 

[LiskeardRich]

What a great scheme, assuming the fine actually goes on improvements.

[Tim]

What a great scheme, assuming the fine actually goes on improvements.

Agreed. But for the incentivisation of the franchisee to work, it doesn't actually matter what the fine is spent on.  If the fine goes on improvements then it is a double win.