NICOLA STURGEON admitted today that ScotRail was in the “last-chance saloon,” as she came under renewed pressure to renationalise the failing national train operator.

The First Minister was put on the spot at First Minister’s Questions, when SNP MSP Christine Grahame asked: “Isn’t it time the Scottish government told ScotRail that it’s in the last-chance saloon?”

In acknowledging that there had been an “unacceptable level of cancellations” on the Borders Railway recently, Ms Sturgeon said ScotRail should treat the “remedial plan” for improvement “like a last-chance saloon.”

She said the company would run the risk of its franchise being ended early if performance did not improve.

But Labour criticised the SNP government for “talking tough” over ScotRail while allowing the company to “pocket hundreds of millions of pounds in taxpayer cash.”

Scottish Labour transport spokesman Colin Smith said the solution was public ownership, saying that “SNP ministers which are chauffeured around in ministerial Mondeos” should be “in no doubt how angry Scotland’s commuters are.”

“If Nicola Sturgeon really believes ScotRail is in the last-chance saloon she would have voted to exercise the break clause and terminate the contract early when Labour brought a motion to Parliament last year,” he added.

As Ms Sturgeon took questions during FMQs, passengers were facing chaos after ScotRail cancelled three trains between Edinburgh and the central belt due to crew shortages.

ScotRail has been fined £13.6 million for poor service and cancellations — dwarfed by the £960m the company has received in public subsidies.

The latest figures showed that 87.6 per cent of trains arrived within five minutes of the timetable over the year to March 2.

Ms Sturgeon told MSPs: “The remedial plan has been specifically designed to mitigate against train crew and train fleet challenges and I fully expect Scotrail to ensure the plan is delivered.”

But Ms Grahame retorted: “The plan might be delivered but that doesn’t deliver trains. Plans don’t drive trains.”

Tory MSP Rachael Hamilton said Ms Sturgeon should “personally oversee the remedial plan,” which the First Minister said was the responsibility of Transport Secretary Michael Matheson.

But TSSA general secretary Manuel Cortes said: “It’s time Nicola Sturgeon took ownership of the problem. Under Michael Matheson, Abellio have got away with running ScotRail into the ground.

“She has my telephone number, I’m ready to meet with her as soon as possible.”