Record investment across Scotland’s Railway, including £475 million on new and upgraded trains, is delivering a better service for customers, according to new figures published today.

The Service Quality Incentive Regime (SQUIRE) report released by Transport Scotland has shown that the service on ScotRail trains and at stations improved significantly between 15 September to 7 December 2019 compared with the same period the previous year.

Continued investment in CCTV, station environments, customer information and train cleanliness has led to a £190,927 year-on-year reduction in contributions to the SQUIRE fund; from £814,002 during 16 September to 8 December 2018 to £623,075 (excluding RPI) in the same period in 2019.

Customers have seen improvements in security on trains and at stations following the upgrade of ScotRail’s CCTV network, with station and on-train CCTV availability improving by an accumulative seven percentage points compared to the same period last year.

Litter and contamination at stations continues to improve thanks to a closer working relationship with Network Rail. This has contributed to a 20 per cent improvement in the repair of platform surface issues, from 59 per cent to 79 per cent compared with the same period in 2018.

The availability of on-train toilets has improved as a result of new controlled emission tank facilities at Yoker depot. The new equipment means more trains can be serviced simultaneously and has resulted in year-on-year improvement of four per cent.

Customer service from ScotRail staff on trains and at stations has improved by an accumulative five percent points.

SQUIRE is used by Transport Scotland to assess facilities on ScotRail trains and at stations. If something is found during routine SQUIRE inspections that does not meet the expected high standard, ScotRail contributes to the SQUIRE investment fund.

All money raised through the SQUIRE fund is reinvested into projects across Scotland’s Railway.

The regime is the toughest of its kind in the UK and is a fundamental part of both Transport Scotland and ScotRail’s efforts to improve customer experience.

Other improvements include the trial of integrated transport information screens Livingston North and North Berwick.

ScotRail Sustainability & Safety Assurance Director David Lister said:

“It’s great to see the hard work and effort of our people, to deliver the level of service our customers expect and deserve, continuing to pay off.

“The £475 million spent on new and upgraded trains, and continued investment in better stations, and better facilities will ensure we continue to make improvements in the areas that matter most.”