First ScotRail

First ScotRail^[1] was a train operating company in Scotland owned by FirstGroup. It operated the ScotRail franchise between October 2004 and March 2015.

First ScotRail

Rèile na h-Alba (Scottish Gaelic)
Class 158 Express Sprinter at North Queensferry in 2009
Overview
Franchise(s)	ScotRail 17 October 2004 – 31 March 2015
Main region(s)	Scotland
Other region(s)	North West England North East England
Fleet size	311
Stations operated	344
Parent company	FirstGroup
Reporting mark	SR
Predecessor	ScotRail (National Express)
Successor	Abellio ScotRail Caledonian Sleeper
Technical
Length	3,032.0 km (1,884.0 mi)^[citation needed]
Other
Website	at the Wayback Machine (archived 2015-03-16)

On 17 October 2004, First ScotRail took over operations from the incumbent franchisee, National Express. First ScotRail operated most commuter and long-distance services within Scotland, and some services to northern England, as well as the Caledonian Sleeper to London. Of FirstGroup's four train operating companies, ScotRail was the second largest (in terms of number of passenger journeys 2013–14) after First Great Western at the time of the termination of its franchise.

During April 2008, Transport Scotland granted a three-year franchise extension to First ScotRail. In May 2009, First ScotRail announced a crackdown on fare-dodging due to abuse of the Flexipass ticket system. One month later, it was alleged that ScotRail's passenger figures were substantially inflated and that 7.2 million less passenger journeys had been actually made; the matter became politically charged but did not impact the extension decision. In June 2012, the Scottish Government announced that the Caledonian Sleeper services would be split off from the ScotRail franchise. Following its unsuccessful bid to retain the franchise in 2014, First ScotRail transferred operations to Abellio ScotRail on 1 April 2015.

History

 

First ScotRail logo (2004-2008)

Between March 1997 and October 2004, the public transport conglomerate National Express operated the ScotRail franchise under the ScotRail brand. During July 2003, the Scottish Executive and the Strategic Rail Authority announced Arriva, FirstGroup and National Express had been shortlisted to bid for the new franchise.^[2] In June 2004, the franchise was awarded to FirstGroup; the services formerly operated by ScotRail were transferred to First ScotRail on 17 October 2004.^[3]

On 1 January 2006, Transport Scotland was established to carry out the Scottish Executive's transport responsibilities including its then newly devolved powers over rail franchising.^[4] During April 2008, Transport Scotland granted a three-year franchise extension to First ScotRail, postponing its end-date to November 2014.^[5][6]

In May 2009, First ScotRail announced a crackdown on fare-dodging shortly after discovering that one of its most popular saver tickets could be subject to widespread abuse; 150 travellers were caught misusing Flexipass tickets within a single week alone.^[7] First ScotRail's approach to dealing with fare-dodgers remained a point of controversy at times.^[8]

During June 2009, a report by Strathclyde Partnership for Transport alleged that passenger figures generated by ScotRail had contained 7.2 million more passenger journeys than had been actually made; in response, Holyrood's audit committee called in Auditor General Robert Black to review the extent of the miscalculation.^[9] First ScotRail stated that the "long-standing" error was being corrected, while Transport Scotland contended that the overestimate did not impact its decision to extend the ScotRail franchise.^[10]

During October 2011, First ScotRail and the British railway infrastructure operator Network Rail announced the enactment of a series of new measures to handle service disruption in the event of severe winter conditions. In addition to improved access to travel information at stations and aboard trains, a new design of warmed plastic tunnels along with the first "power shower" system in the UK were rolled out to help de-ice trains, while it was stated that priority would be given to keeping the most highly-trafficked routes operational.^[11] At times of severe weather, ScotRail services had been temporarily suspended on grounds of safety; in such situations, wherever possible, active trains were directed to stop in the nearest convenient station and alternative transportation was provided until services could be resumed.^[12]

In June 2012, the Scottish Government announced that when the ScotRail franchise would be re-tendered in 2014, the Caledonian Sleeper services would be split off and transferred to a standalone franchise.^[13][14] In May 2014, it was announced that the new Caledonian Sleeper franchise had been awarded to Serco.^[15]

In addition to FirstGroup, multiple other transport companies entered bids to operate the ScotRail franchise, including Abellio, Arriva, MTR, and National Express.^[16] During early October 2014, it was announced that Abellio's bid had been selected and thus First ScotRail would be discontinued from April 2015.^[17][18]

Accordingly, the franchise was transferred to Abellio ScotRail at midnight on 1 April 2015.^[19] Several hours beforehand, the Caledonian Sleeper services had been separately transferred to Serco.^[20][21]

Services

Main lines

 

Map of the principal railway lines of Scotland; First ScotRail's former services are indicated in red.

 

Northbound Class 170 approaching the Forth Bridge on the Edinburgh to Aberdeen Line

Express trains operated between Edinburgh, Glasgow, Inverness, Dundee and Aberdeen. The Highland Main Line links Inverness to the south. Some stretches of main line, such as the Highland Main Line, are single track, and express trains must call at intermediate stations to permit trains coming in the opposite direction to pass.

The main lines of Scotland are:

• Ayrshire Coast Line
• Dundee–Aberdeen line
• Edinburgh–Dundee line
• Fife Circle Line
• Glasgow–Edinburgh via Carstairs line
• Glasgow–Edinburgh via Falkirk line
• Glasgow–Dundee line
• Glasgow South Western Line
• Highland Main Line

Glasgow

See also: Transport in Glasgow

The densest part of the network was the suburban network around Glasgow, with 183 stations, the second-largest suburban rail network in the UK, after London. Much of it is 25 kV AC electrified. Glasgow’s main terminal stations are Central and Queen Street stations. ScotRail operated trains in this area under the Strathclyde Partnership for Transport (SPT) brand. However, the Strathclyde Partnership for Transport no longer has any input into specifying rail services in the Glasgow area. DMUs and EMUs that were liveried in the carmine and cream livery were stripped of the Strathclyde logos.^{[22][full citation needed]} Lines in and around Glasgow were:

• Argyle Line
• Ayrshire Coast Line
• Cathcart Circle Lines
• Croy Line
• Cumbernauld Line
• Inverclyde Line
• Maryhill Line

• Motherwell–Cumbernauld line
• North Clyde Line (extended to Cumbernauld & Edinburgh^[23])
• Paisley Canal line
• Shotts Line
• Glasgow South Western Line
• Whifflet Line (incorporated into the Argyle Line)

The North Clyde Line is now linked to the Edinburgh-Bathgate Line (see Edinburgh, below) with the completion of the Airdrie–Bathgate rail link, creating a new direct link between Glasgow and Edinburgh. There is also a proposal to create a new rail link across the city with the Crossrail Glasgow project.

Edinburgh

 

The Forth Bridge in 2004

See also: Transport in Edinburgh

Edinburgh’s suburban network is less dense than Glasgow’s. Edinburgh’s main station is Waverley. The main railway line through the city centre runs in a cutting immediately below Edinburgh Castle. A secondary station is at Haymarket in the west of the city. Railway lines running north from Edinburgh to Fife and the Highlands cross the Firth of Forth via the Forth Bridge. Lines in and around Edinburgh were:

• Edinburgh–Bathgate line (incorporated into the North Clyde Line^[23])
• Edinburgh Crossrail
• Edinburgh–Dunblane line
• North Berwick Line
• Shotts Line
• Edinburgh–Dundee line

The Edinburgh rail network is being expanded with the construction of the Waverley Line to the Borders, and the Edinburgh–Bathgate Line has been extended by the Airdrie–Bathgate rail link. A project to open a rail link to Edinburgh Airport was cancelled in September 2007 by the Scottish Government in favour of construction of a station at nearby Gogar which will connect with the Edinburgh tram network to take passengers to the terminal.^[24] A proposal to re-open the Edinburgh suburban railway line has been made by campaigning groups.^[25]

Rural lines

 

The West Highland Line at Rannoch

 

Class 170 Turbostar in First ScotRail livery at Inverness

Rural lines include the scenic West Highland Line, Kyle of Lochalsh line and Far North Line. These lines carried more passengers, mostly tourists, during the summer months, but provided a valuable link and social service during the winter months.

Many rural lines are single track. Trains terminating at the coastal towns of Oban and Mallaig connected with the Caledonian MacBrayne ferry services to Skye, Colonsay, Lismore, Islay and the Outer Hebrides and Inner Hebrides.

The rural lines were:

• Aberdeen–Inverness line
• Far North Line
• Kyle of Lochalsh line
• West Highland Line

InterCity & Sleeper services

Main article: Caledonian Sleeper

First ScotRail operated some services that ventured south of the border: principally the Caledonian Sleeper to London Euston along the West Coast Main Line, and a three times daily cross-country service between Newcastle upon Tyne and Glasgow Central via Carlisle and Kilmarnock.

Performance

Performance figures for National Express’s last quarter as franchise holder, July to September 2004, were:

Period	% trains arriving within 5 mins of scheduled time	Change
Jul - Sep 2004	82.8%	Down 4.2% on the same quarter the previous year
Jul - Sep 2004	84.2%	Down 1.0% on the previous year as a whole

Performance figures for FirstGroup’s first quarter as franchise holder, October to December 2004, were:

Period	% trains arriving within 5 mins of scheduled time	Change
Oct - Dec 2004	79.8%	Down 1.9% on the same quarter the previous year
Oct - Dec 2004	83.7%	Down 0.5% on the previous year as a whole

FirstGroup started operating the franchise on 17 October 2004.

The performance figures released by the Office for Rail Regulation (ORR) are as follows:

Period	% trains arriving within 5 mins of scheduled time (over three months)	Change over same quarter the previous year	% trains arriving within 5 mins of scheduled time Moving Annual Average (MAA)	Change over previous year as a whole
Apr - Jun 2007^[26]	91.4%	Up 0.8%	89.0%	Up 0.2%
Jul - Sep 2007^[27]	93.0%	Up 2.2%	89.6%	Up 0.7%
Oct - Dec 2007^[28]	87.3%	Up 2.8%	90.1%	Up 0.6%
Jan - Mar 2008^[29]	90.5%	Up 2.0%	90.6%	Up 0.6%
Apr - Jun 2008^[30]	93.6%	Up 2.4%	91.1%	Up 0.6%
Jul - Sep 2008^[31]	92.8%	Down 0.2%	91.0%	Up 0.4%
Oct - Dec 2008^[32]	86.5%	Down 0.9%	90.9%	Up 0.3%
Jan - Mar 2009^[33]	89.6%	Down 1.0%>	90.6%	Down 0.3%
Apr - Jun 2009^[34]	93.0%	Down 0.6%	90.5%	Down 0.1%
Jul - Sep 2009^[35]	93.5%	Up 0.9%	90.7%	Up 0.2%
Oct - Dec 2009^[36]	86.7%	Up 0.2%	90.7%	Unchanged
Jan - Mar 2010^[37]	89.5%	Down 0.1%	90.7%	Unchanged
Jul - Sep 2010^[38]	94.5%	Up 1.1%	91.4%	Up 0.8%
Oct - Dec 2010^[38]	78.4%	Down 9.6%	92.9%	Up 2.4%
Jan - Mar 2011^[39]	89.1%	Down 0.0%	90.1%	Down 0.0%

Note:

• The percentage change figures are not the actual increases in % but the percentage increase in the % value.
• These values are very similar to the sector performance level.

Rolling stock

 

Class 156 in the old National Express ScotRail livery at Oban station in June 2005

First ScotRail inherited a fleet of Class 150, Class 156, Class 158, Class 170, Class 314, Class 318, Class 320 and Class 334s from National Express, as well as Mark 2 carriages and Mark 3 sleepers for use on the Caledonian Sleeper.

First ScotRail contracted EWS to haul the Caledonian Sleeper services.^[40] Class 90s were used south of Edinburgh and Glasgow Central with Class 67s used on the portions to Fort William, Aberdeen and Inverness. A dedicated pool was also created due to the need to fit cast steel brakes. Three Class 90s were repainted in First ScotRail livery with EWS logos.^[41][42][43]

For a short time in 2005, the Edinburgh - North Berwick Line services were operated by English Welsh & Scottish Class 90s with former Virgin Trains Mark 3 carriages and a Driving Van Trailer. In late 2005, five Class 322s were transferred from One to replace these.^[44][45] Following an refurbishment performed by Hunslet-Barclay of Kilmarnock between 2006 and 2007, all Class 322s had their capacity increased from 252 passengers to 293.^[46][47]

During January 2007, public calls were made for the refurbishments of First ScotRail's Class 158 diesel multiple units, particularly in regards to the toilet facilities.^[48] One year later, work commenced on the refurbishment of 25 Class 158s, which involved repainting, new seating, extra luggage space, the addition of new customer information systems,^[49][50][51] and the fitting of the requested toilet retention tanks.^[52]

In September 2008, Transport Scotland announced that all First ScotRail trains, including those previously operated on behalf of the Strathclyde Partnership for Transport, would be repainted in a new blue livery with white saltire markings on the carriage ends.^[53] This rebranding placed less emphasis on the First and was marketed as "ScotRail: Scotland's Railway".^[54] The first unit to receive the new livery was 170434, unveiled at Glasgow Queen Street on 22 September 2008.

During December 2008, ScotRail started operated a set of DB Schenker Mark 2 carriages on a peak-hour Fife Circle Line service hauled by a Class 67. A second set was also operated for a while.^{[citation needed]}

In July 2008, Transport Scotland funded the acquisition of 22 three-carriage and 16 four-carriage Class 380 Desiros with the first entering service in December 2010. These trains operated Ayrshire and Inverclyde services, adding extra capacity and allowed the cascade of existing stock to the new Glasgow to Edinburgh services via the reopened Airdrie to Bathgate line.^[55][56]

Fleet at end of franchise

Class	Image	Type	Top speed		Number	Routes operated	Built
			mph	km/h
Class 67		Diesel locomotive	125	200	Hired from DB Schenker	Fife Circle Line Caledonian Sleeper	1999–2000
Class 90		Electric locomotive	110	177	Hired from DB Schenker (4 required per service night)	Caledonian Sleeper	1987–1990
Class 156 Super Sprinter		DMU	75	120	48	West Highland Line Glasgow South Western Line Shotts Line Croy Line Edinburgh Crossrail Maryhill Line Cumbernauld Line	1987–1989
Class 158 Express Sprinter			90	145	48	Glasgow to Edinburgh via Falkirk Line Edinburgh to Aberdeen Line Highland Main Line Croy Line Aberdeen to Inverness Line Kyle of Lochalsh Line Far North Line Edinburgh Crossrail Edinburgh to Dunblane Line Fife Circle Line Shotts Line Maryhill Line Cumbernauld Line	1989–1992
Class 170 Turbostar			100	161	59	Glasgow to Edinburgh via Falkirk Line Edinburgh to Aberdeen Line Highland Main Line Fife Circle Line Edinburgh Crossrail Edinburgh to Dunblane Line Croy Line Maryhill Line Cumbernauld Line Tay Coast Line	1998–2005
Class 314		EMU	75	121	16	Cathcart Circle Lines Inverclyde Line Paisley Canal Line	1979
Class 318			90	145	21	Argyle Line North Clyde Line Whifflet Line	1986–1987
Class 320					22		1990
Class 334 Coradia Juniper					40	North Clyde Line Argyle Line	1999–2002
Class 380 Desiro			100	160	22 (3 carriage) 16 (4 carriage)	Ayrshire Coast Line Inverclyde Line Glasgow to Edinburgh via Carstairs Line North Berwick Line Paisley Canal Line	2009–2011
Mark 2 carriage		Sleeper Seated			22	Caledonian Sleeper	1969–1974
Mark 3 carriage		Sleeper Berth	125	200	53		1975–1988

Past fleet

Former train types operated by First ScotRail include:

Class	Image	Type	Top speed		Number	Carriages	Built	Left fleet
			mph	km/h
Class 150 Sprinter		DMU	75	121	18	2	1986–1987	2005
Class 322		EMU	100	161	5	4	1990	2011

Stations

The majority of Scotland's 340 passenger stations were operated by First ScotRail under Network Rail ownership. Edinburgh Waverley and Glasgow Central stations were operated by Network Rail itself; Glasgow Prestwick Airport station was owned and operated by the airport; and Dunbar was operated by the InterCity East Coast franchise holder (originally GNER, then National Express East Coast, then East Coast, and finally Virgin Trains East Coast). ScotRail operated Lockerbie station although none of its services called there.

Depots

First ScotRail's fleet was maintained at Edinburgh Haymarket, Glasgow Shields Road, Corkerhill and Inverness depots. During early 2005, the rebuilt Glasgow Eastfield was reopened.^[57]

See also

• ScotRail, the train operating company operating the ScotRail franchise since 1 April 2022
• ScotRail (brand)
• Transport in Scotland
• Transport in Edinburgh
• Transport in Glasgow
• Category:Transport in Scotland by council area
• Caledonian Sleeper
• Strathclyde Partnership for Transport
• Transport Initiatives Edinburgh
• Glasgow Subway
• Transport Scotland (government agency)
• List of railway lines in Great Britain
• Abellio ScotRail

References

Citations

1. . Companies House. Archived from the original on 12 April 2016. Retrieved 23 December 2023.
2. "Shortlist of ScotRail bidders puts three in the ring". The Herald. 18 October 2016. from the original on 19 November 2016. Retrieved 19 November 2016.
3. . The Daily Telegraph. 12 June 2004. Archived from the original on 13 April 2016.
4. Transport Scotland Framework Document (PDF), Scottish Executive, December 2005, (PDF) from the original on 12 April 2016, retrieved 19 November 2016
5. . Transport Scotland News. 3 April 2008. Archived from the original on 4 January 2016.
6. . First ScotRail. 3 April 2008. Archived from the original on 6 October 2014.
7. "ScotRail crackdown on ticket abuse". glasgowtimes.co.uk. 26 May 2009.
8. Gordon, Bryony (14 December 2011). "Rail inspectors don't know how to handle fare-dodgers". The Telegraph.
9. "Probe call over passenger figures". BBC News. 24 June 2009. from the original on 29 November 2020. Retrieved 2 April 2010.
10. "Rail contract handling defended". BBC News. 14 January 2009. from the original on 29 November 2020. Retrieved 2 April 2010.
11. "Trains to be prioritised in severe winter weather". BBC News. 31 October 2011.
12. Duffy, Owen (5 December 2013). "Scotland starts to clear up damage left by 100mph winds". The Guardian.
13. . Scottish National Party Media Centre. 21 June 2012. Archived from the original on 28 March 2013.
14. Barrow, Keith (22 June 2012). "Scottish government sets out rail strategy". International Railway Journal. from the original on 17 November 2015. Retrieved 15 November 2015.
15. "Serco wins franchise for Caledonian sleeper train service". BBC News. 28 May 2014. from the original on 29 May 2014. Retrieved 21 June 2018.
16. "Dutch firm Abellio wins ScotRail franchise from FirstGroup". BBC News. 8 October 2014. from the original on 21 April 2016. Retrieved 21 June 2018.
17. . Railway Gazette International. 8 October 2014. Archived from the original on 5 April 2016.
18. . Abellio. Archived from the original on 15 April 2016.
19. "FirstGroup plc thanks First ScotRail passengers and employees". FirstGroup. 27 March 2015.
20. "Serco awarded contract to run the famous Caledonian Sleeper railway line". The Independent. 28 May 2014.
21. "Strike halts Caledonian Sleeper train". The Guardian. 22 December 2015.
22. Today's Railways UK. No. 81. {{cite magazine}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
23. . airdriebathgateraillink.co.uk. Archived from the original on 28 September 2011.
24. "It's £30m down the drain". The Scotsman. Edinburgh: Johnston Publishing. 27 September 2007. from the original on 5 June 2011. Retrieved 7 September 2013.
25. . Archived from the original on 16 May 2014.
26. "ORR Statistics for Q1 2007/08" (PDF). (PDF) from the original on 29 February 2008. Retrieved 3 November 2007.
27. "ORR Statistics for Q2 2007/08" (PDF). (PDF) from the original on 28 February 2008. Retrieved 12 February 2008.
28. "ORR Statistics for Q3 2007/08" (PDF). (PDF) from the original on 19 December 2008.
29. "ORR Statistics for Q4 2007/08" (PDF). (PDF) from the original on 7 November 2008. Retrieved 1 August 2008.
30. Office of Rail Regulation - National Rail Trends 5 November 2008 at the Wayback Machine, (2008), p. 22
31. Office of Rail Regulation - National Rail Trends 27 March 2009 at the Wayback Machine, (2009), p. 5
32. Office of Rail Regulation - National Rail Trends, (2009), p. 5
33. Office of Rail Regulation - National Rail Trends Archived 7 August 2009 at the UK Government Web Archive, (2009), p. 24
34. Office of Rail Regulation - National Rail Trends Archived 9 October 2009 at the UK Government Web Archive, (2009), p. 5
35. Office of Rail Regulation - National Rail Trends Archived 3 March 2010 at the UK Government Web Archive, (2010), p. 5
36. "Office of Rail Regulation - National Rail Trends" (PDF). ORR. Archived from the original (PDF) on 13 April 2010.
37. "National Rail Trends Chapter 2" (PDF). ORR. Archived from the original (PDF) on 11 September 2010.
38. "National Rail Trends Chapter 2" (PDF). ORR. Archived from the original (PDF) on 3 February 2011.
39. "National Rail Trends 2010-11. Chapter 2" (PDF). ORR. (PDF) from the original on 7 September 2011. Retrieved 29 August 2011.
40. (Press release). English Welsh & Scottish. 26 May 2006. Archived from the original on 13 June 2006.
41. "Hybrid identity for Scottish Class 90s". Rail. No. 541. 7 June 2006. p. 7.
42. "EWS paints first Class 90 for ScotRail". Today's Railways UK. No. 55. July 2006. p. 51.
43. "Class 90 gets First Group livery". The Railway Magazine. No. 1266. October 2006. p. 7.
44. "Class 322s return north". Rail Magazine. No. 519. 3 August 2005. p. 28.
45. "322s return to Scotland". The Railway Magazine. No. 1253. September 2005. p. 71.
46. "First Class 322 is overhauled". Rail Magazine. No. 538. 26 April 2006. p. 25.
47. "Final 322 Outshopped". Rail Magazine. No. 560. 28 February 2007. p. 50.
48. "Fury over faeces dumped on tracks". BBC News. 11 January 2007.
49. "Railcare Springburn Class 158 Scotrail Internal refurbishment". Concept Applications. Retrieved 28 June 2010.
50. (PDF). RailCare. Archived from the original (PDF) on 15 July 2011. Retrieved 28 June 2010.
51. . Transport Scotland. 17 December 2009. Archived from the original on 3 March 2010. Retrieved 29 May 2010.
52. Dalton, Alastair (11 August 2012). "Satellite loo-blocker leaves ScotRail chiefs flushed with success". scotsman.com.
53. . Transport Scotland. Archived from the original on 6 July 2010.
54. Dalton, Alastair (23 September 2008). "ScotRail marks birthday with Saltire look". The Scotsman. Edinburgh. from the original on 17 January 2016. Retrieved 19 November 2016.
55. . Transport Scotland. 11 July 2008. Archived from the original on 17 December 2009.
56. . Railway Gazette International. 11 July 2008. Archived from the original on 10 June 2012. Retrieved 10 December 2009.
57. "Eastfield Depot 1904 -1992". from the original on 26 March 2014. Retrieved 30 September 2012.

Sources

• Scottish Government. Scottish Transport Statistics No. 24: 2005 Edition. Accessed on 2 October 2005.
• Scottish Parliament Information Centre. . Accessed on 2 October 2005.
• RailBritain.com. First ScotRail fleet size as of December 2004. Accessed on 2 October 2005.

External links

  Media related to First ScotRail at Wikimedia Commons

• ScotRail network map
• (National Rail)
• ScotRail reports - the Scotsman

Preceded by ScotRail (National Express)	Operator of ScotRail franchise 2004–2015	Succeeded by Abellio ScotRail
		Succeeded by Caledonian Sleeper Caledonian Sleeper franchise