Chamber
Meeting of the Parliament 30 May 2013
30 May 2013 · S4 · Meeting of the Parliament
Item of business
Scotland’s Railways
That intervention absolutely gives the game away. I was trying to remember what the Scottish National Party position was on the big policy change that we made in the budgets. To be entirely fair, the Conservatives said that they did not support our position, but I now remember that the SNP’s then transport spokesperson Kenny MacAskill seemed to say that we were right while the SNP attacked us at a local level—as usual with the nationalists. Stewart Stevenson has just given the game away.
Since the nationalists want to talk about their record, let us look at that, but first let me pick up Keith Brown on what he said about ticketing. I applaud his efforts to simplify the system, and he is quite right to do that. However, he should not claim all the credit—perhaps the claims are made not by him but by the people around him—because, as a correspondent from Kincardineshire wrote in The Scotsman the other day,
“ending the practice of split ticketing ... benefits precisely 0.3 per cent of the travelling public and First ScotRail has ... a £2.28 million subsidy from the Scottish Government to cover downturn in revenue as a result of ending split-ticketing.”
In considering the minister’s sensible moves to try to end that process, we should recognise that it is not without its costs by comparison with the benefits that it brings.
In today’s transport world, the Government’s record on train journey times bears some scrutiny. We can have important debates on how we should procure the services and whether, instead of using franchises, we should look at the other models that Elaine Murray and Patrick Harvie have proposed—as they are quite entitled to do so—but I suspect that what matters most to the travelling public is journey times.
Through answers to parliamentary questions that I have lodged—not through anything that I have done—we find that the Government’s record, particularly in the north-east, is pretty lamentable. In the period from 2007 to 2013, in which the SNP has been in government, average journey times for Glasgow to Edinburgh, Edinburgh to Glasgow, Edinburgh to Aberdeen, Aberdeen to Edinburgh and Inverness to Aberdeen have increased rather than fallen.
It is no wonder that people in the north-east and the Highlands wonder why their Government has left them behind in all the rail investment. The north-east of Scotland is the economic powerhouse of the Scottish economy, as oil and gas is one of the few sectors—sadly—in Scotland and the United Kingdom that is moving ahead at a rate of knots. It should benefit from rail investment that is proportionate—at least to some extent—to what is happening elsewhere.
Cuts in journey times are needed to allow the people in that economy to make connections to the places that they need to go. However, the record—I am reading out the Government’s own statistics from its parliamentary answers—illustrates that the situation has got worse.
The transport minister has mentioned a cut of 17 minutes. I presume that he was referring to the services from Glasgow and Edinburgh to Inverness, because, in answer to a parliamentary question in December, he said:
“Journey times for some services operating between Glasgow/Edinburgh and Inverness will be reduced by up to 17 minutes”.—[Official Report, Written Answers, 4 December 2012; S4W-11393.]
I looked into that and lodged another question. It turns out that, of the 266 services over seven days between Glasgow and Edinburgh and Inverness, one service is 18 minutes faster and one service is 17 minutes faster. That is 0.8 per cent of the services. Although the Government is congratulating itself and patting itself on the back, those figures suggest that it has an awful lot more to do to help people who genuinely want to travel by rail to and from Aberdeen and the Highlands.
The Transform Scotland briefing neatly sums up the challenge that the Government still faces, not least in persuading those of us who believe strongly in a renaissance in rail. I applaud the minister’s language in the debate and his general approach to talking up a golden age of rail, but the figures that I mentioned strongly suggest that he has a long way to go.
Transform Scotland said just this week that
“railways north of the Central Belt remain uncompetitive with the roads—and are due to worsen”.
I fear that the Government has an awful lot more to do.
I move amendment S4M-06766.3, to leave out from the first “acknowledges” to end and insert
“notes Transform Scotland’s observations that ‘railways north of the central belt remain uncompetitive with the roads and are due to worsen’; recognises that some rail journey times between Glasgow/Edinburgh and Aberdeen have increased since 2007; further notes the failure of the Scottish Government to take forward the Aberdeen Crossrail project, which included the reopening of the Kintore station and recognises the ongoing overcrowding on services between Inverurie, Dyce and Aberdeen, and calls on the Scottish Government to focus on improving journey times and rail links to, and in, the north east.”
15:07
Since the nationalists want to talk about their record, let us look at that, but first let me pick up Keith Brown on what he said about ticketing. I applaud his efforts to simplify the system, and he is quite right to do that. However, he should not claim all the credit—perhaps the claims are made not by him but by the people around him—because, as a correspondent from Kincardineshire wrote in The Scotsman the other day,
“ending the practice of split ticketing ... benefits precisely 0.3 per cent of the travelling public and First ScotRail has ... a £2.28 million subsidy from the Scottish Government to cover downturn in revenue as a result of ending split-ticketing.”
In considering the minister’s sensible moves to try to end that process, we should recognise that it is not without its costs by comparison with the benefits that it brings.
In today’s transport world, the Government’s record on train journey times bears some scrutiny. We can have important debates on how we should procure the services and whether, instead of using franchises, we should look at the other models that Elaine Murray and Patrick Harvie have proposed—as they are quite entitled to do so—but I suspect that what matters most to the travelling public is journey times.
Through answers to parliamentary questions that I have lodged—not through anything that I have done—we find that the Government’s record, particularly in the north-east, is pretty lamentable. In the period from 2007 to 2013, in which the SNP has been in government, average journey times for Glasgow to Edinburgh, Edinburgh to Glasgow, Edinburgh to Aberdeen, Aberdeen to Edinburgh and Inverness to Aberdeen have increased rather than fallen.
It is no wonder that people in the north-east and the Highlands wonder why their Government has left them behind in all the rail investment. The north-east of Scotland is the economic powerhouse of the Scottish economy, as oil and gas is one of the few sectors—sadly—in Scotland and the United Kingdom that is moving ahead at a rate of knots. It should benefit from rail investment that is proportionate—at least to some extent—to what is happening elsewhere.
Cuts in journey times are needed to allow the people in that economy to make connections to the places that they need to go. However, the record—I am reading out the Government’s own statistics from its parliamentary answers—illustrates that the situation has got worse.
The transport minister has mentioned a cut of 17 minutes. I presume that he was referring to the services from Glasgow and Edinburgh to Inverness, because, in answer to a parliamentary question in December, he said:
“Journey times for some services operating between Glasgow/Edinburgh and Inverness will be reduced by up to 17 minutes”.—[Official Report, Written Answers, 4 December 2012; S4W-11393.]
I looked into that and lodged another question. It turns out that, of the 266 services over seven days between Glasgow and Edinburgh and Inverness, one service is 18 minutes faster and one service is 17 minutes faster. That is 0.8 per cent of the services. Although the Government is congratulating itself and patting itself on the back, those figures suggest that it has an awful lot more to do to help people who genuinely want to travel by rail to and from Aberdeen and the Highlands.
The Transform Scotland briefing neatly sums up the challenge that the Government still faces, not least in persuading those of us who believe strongly in a renaissance in rail. I applaud the minister’s language in the debate and his general approach to talking up a golden age of rail, but the figures that I mentioned strongly suggest that he has a long way to go.
Transform Scotland said just this week that
“railways north of the Central Belt remain uncompetitive with the roads—and are due to worsen”.
I fear that the Government has an awful lot more to do.
I move amendment S4M-06766.3, to leave out from the first “acknowledges” to end and insert
“notes Transform Scotland’s observations that ‘railways north of the central belt remain uncompetitive with the roads and are due to worsen’; recognises that some rail journey times between Glasgow/Edinburgh and Aberdeen have increased since 2007; further notes the failure of the Scottish Government to take forward the Aberdeen Crossrail project, which included the reopening of the Kintore station and recognises the ongoing overcrowding on services between Inverurie, Dyce and Aberdeen, and calls on the Scottish Government to focus on improving journey times and rail links to, and in, the north east.”
15:07
References in this contribution
Motions, questions or amendments mentioned by their reference code.
- S4W-11393 Question
- S4M-06766.3 Transforming Scotland's Railways Motion
In the same item of business
The Deputy Presiding Officer (John Scott)
Con
Good afternoon, everyone. The first item of business is a debate on motion S4M-06766, in the name of Keith Brown, on transforming Scotland’s railways. We are...
The Minister for Transport and Veterans (Keith Brown)
SNP
Scotland’s railways are in the midst of a transformation and there is a real success story to tell. Now is the right time to take account of our achievements...
Stewart Stevenson (Banffshire and Buchan Coast) (SNP)
SNP
Is the minister aware of the rail improvements that have been made between Belfast and Dublin, where there is equity of interest? Cross-border rail services ...
Keith Brown
SNP
The example that has been given by Stewart Stevenson illustrates that cross-border services can be organised in the mutual interest of two countries if the w...
Jenny Marra (North East Scotland) (Lab)
Lab
I welcome what the minister has done so far in sorting out anomalies with regard to Dundee. However, does he accept that there are still major anomalies on t...
Keith Brown
SNP
In dealing with about a quarter of a million journeys on which anomalies had occurred, we made substantial progress. That progress could have been made many ...
Ken Macintosh (Eastwood) (Lab)
Lab
What can the minister do to encourage bidders—either co-operative bidders or mutual or not-for-dividend bidders—to come forward and bid for the franchise?
Keith Brown
SNP
I think that I answered that question from Ken Macintosh last week. I am interested to know what the Labour Party’s position is. I reiterate that I cannot en...
John Lamont (Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire) (Con)
Con
Will the minister give way?
Keith Brown
SNP
I want to make more progress, but I will see if I have time at the end to give way.The £30 million fund will provide investment for new and improved stations...
Elaine Murray (Dumfriesshire) (Lab)
Lab
This Government never really fails to disappoint on the height of the complacency and self-congratulation to which it aspires. There are really only two them...
Stewart Stevenson
SNP
Will Elaine Murray take the opportunity to congratulate the young engineer who came up with the idea for that project, which I had the privilege of adjudging...
Elaine Murray
Lab
I am more than happy to congratulate that young engineer; I just do not particularly want to congratulate the Scottish Government.Of course, there are the pr...
John Mason (Glasgow Shettleston) (SNP)
SNP
Does Elaine Murray accept that there are things that we would all like to see for the railways, but that there are realistic options and then a wish list? Ca...
Elaine Murray
Lab
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Keith Brown
SNP
Will Elaine Murray give way?
Elaine Murray
Lab
I will not just now; I want to develop my point.When he was asked by Ken Macintosh last week whether the Scottish Government would encourage a not-for-profit...
Patrick Harvie (Glasgow) (Green)
Green
I would welcome that kind of development. However, does Elaine Murray accept that, in order for a not-for-profit bidder to materialise, what is really needed...
Elaine Murray
Lab
I agree that that needs leadership. What I am saying is that that leadership is being shown in Wales. Indeed, the Labour Party at UK level is also considerin...
Keith Brown
SNP
I have said a number of times that I have approached the Secretary of State for Transport about changing the terms of the 1993 act to allow us to open up the...
Elaine Murray
Lab
Quite honestly, I do not believe that it is for Ed Miliband to tell the Scottish Labour Party what it believes. He can consider what he wants for the United ...
Alex Johnstone (North East Scotland) (Con)
Con
The Government’s record on transport differs from that of the Government that preceded it. The previous Labour-Liberal Democrat Administration’s reluctance t...
Patrick Harvie
Green
Will Alex Johnstone give way?
Alex Johnstone
Con
I will not, at this stage.The achievements demonstrate the benefits of the existing industry structure, and I am determined to ensure that we do not make any...
The Deputy Presiding Officer
Con
You should be drawing to a close, please.
Alex Johnstone
Con
I invite the Government to see sense and to ensure that it does not listen to the Labour Party and the Green Party during the course of today’s debate.I move...
Tavish Scott (Shetland Islands) (LD)
LD
One thing on which I agree with Alex Johnstone is that there was a complete reversal of policy in 1999. The budget that the Liberal Democrat-Labour Governmen...
Stewart Stevenson
SNP
On 19 December 2002, the Deputy Minister for Enterprise, Transport and Lifelong Learning, Lewis Macdonald, said:“Congestion remains the key challenge that fa...
Tavish Scott
LD
That intervention absolutely gives the game away. I was trying to remember what the Scottish National Party position was on the big policy change that we mad...
Patrick Harvie (Glasgow) (Green)
Green
I welcome the debate, and I see positive things to celebrate about the state of our railways, which is why the Green and independent amendment does not seek ...