October 19, 2024
By Democrat reporter
The SNP Government stands accused of “running Scotland’s rail services into the ground” after new figures revealed that the nationalised Caledonian Sleeper forked out nearly £1 million in less than a year on compensation for delays.
Data obtained by the Scottish Conservatives via a Freedom of Information request shows that between 24 April 2023 and 5 April 2024, £965,672 was paid out to held-up passengers.
The vast bulk of that year covers post-nationalisation, as the SNP Government took control of the Caledonian Sleeper on 25 June 2023.
Almost £700,000 of the bill went on compensation to passengers who had been delayed over an hour.
Scottish Conservative shadow transport secretary Sue Webber MSP, right, said the payments were further evidence – on top of ScotRail – of SNP nationalisation projects failing both Scottish taxpayers and rail users.She said: “The SNP promised nationalising our sleeper service was the best option – and yet passengers are being let down by a service that’s too often late and taxpayers are picking up the tab for compensating them.
“As with their botched ScotRail nationalisation, it appears the SNP are making a mess of running the Caledonian Sleeper.
“Shelling out almost £1million on reimbursing travellers is the last thing we can afford at a time when the SNP’s financial mismanagement is leading to swingeing public spending cuts.
“Rail users have consistently been let down by the SNP failing to deliver on their promises, and it is driving people back into their cars and onto the roads.
“If the SNP insist on nationalising Scotland’s rail services, they must make sure they’re able to efficiently run them – instead of running them into the ground.”
The Caledonian Sleeper came back into public ownership on 25 June 2023. Transport Minister Fiona Hyslop said the decision to take the service into public ownership came amidst “substantial uncertainty regarding future market conditions and the pace and impact of the [previous] UK government’s rail reform process.” (BBC, 25 June 2023, link).
The Caledonian Sleeper paid out £163,430.44 in compensation for 30-minute delays between 24 April 2023 to 5 April 2024. (Scottish Conservative FOI, 11 September 2024, Available on request).
The Caledonian Sleeper paid out £690,068.90 in compensation for 1-hour plus delays between 24 April 2023 to 5 April 2024. (Scottish Conservative FOI, 11 September 2024, Available on request).
The Caledonian Sleeper paid out £112,172.73 in compensation for manual delay repay between 24 April 2023 to 5 April 2024. (Scottish Conservative FOI, 11 September 2024, Available on request).
More petty politicking.
Firstly most people would agree that nationalisation of the sleeper service is a good thing. Or are we saying railway privatisation is good?
Secondly £700,000 compensation to travellers delayed more than an hour is a drop in the ocean in relation to the size of the sleeper operation.
Delays do occur on railways. Points failures, maintenance works, weather disruption are sadly not 100% avoidable. But maybe Tory enthusiasm for privatisation or Labour’ commitment to ya boo political carping can sort that?
But on the bigger picture, much bigger picture, hard investment in infrastructure, structured, planned and coordinated is the only way forward.
But is that happening. Can Britain afford it as we look around at a flailing economy?
And here’s another point. How many folks have taken time look and or think about the tens of thousands of old stone Victorian bridges over and under the UK’s railway system.
Are these structures that are well over a hundred years old a picture of health or are they old and deteriorating requiring ever more maintenance to hold them up? Think of the deterioration of the once ubiquitous Glasgow tenements, many of which were demolished in the 1970s and 80s slum clearance and then think again about railway Bridge infrastructure.
Then think about the new glistening concrete and steel railways in Germany, Japan, China and others.
Then think if a proud world colossus like Britain holding itself to be a post Brexit world leader.
Scary eh?
Scary or not.