SCOTTISH rail passengers are suffering “rip-off fare increases and bargain basement services” under the “insane” franchising model, transport union leader Manuel Cortes blasted today.

The TSSA general secretary called on the SNP to “do the right thing for Scottish passengers and taxpayers“ and bring rail franchises back into public ownership.
 
Recent figures show ScotRail’s punctuality dropped by more than 8 per cent in the year to July 2018, but Scottish commuters face paying hundreds of pounds more for their season tickets with an impending 3.2 per cent rise.
 
Mr Cortes said: “ScotRail should be owned by the Scottish people and run in the interests of passengers not greedy shareholders.

“The insanity of franchising is summed up by the fact that the Dutch national railway runs ScotRail.

“They make a profit here which they can use to invest in better rail services in Holland, while Scotland is about to get 40-year-old museum-piece trains for its new fleet.

“So much for the SNP standing up for Scotland. Scottish taxpayers and commuters deserve far better.”