• Contactless and card payment technology rolled out across Scotland
• Parking infrastructure undergoing comprehensive upgrade across Scotland
ScotRail has taken the hassle out of parking at stations with the rollout of new payment machines at train stations across the country.
At all station car parks operated by ScotRail where charges apply, customers now benefit from card and contactless technology which eliminates the search for change to pay for car parking. These new machines are part of the ongoing upgrade to Scotland’s rail infrastructure.
All ‘pay and display’ car parks also offer the option for customers to pay by phone or app via Ring Go.
Every pay and display machine has been replaced, while all ‘paystations’ car parks with barriers have been upgraded, to accommodate contactless card payment methods.
These new payment facilities follow the announcement earlier this month that customers will be able to benefit from 100 free-to-use electric vehicle charging points from November.
The ScotRail Alliance’s programmes and transformation director, Ian McConnell, said: “Parking at stations shouldn’t be a hassle. These new and upgraded machines will accept card payments with no minimum spend, as well as accepting the new-style £5 notes and £1 coins.
“We’re working hard to improve the experience for our customers every single day – this is one small change that we hope will make a big difference for them.”
Transport Scotland’s Head of Rail Franchise Management, Andrew Mackie, said: “Enhancing the customer experience through a smart and integrated railway forms part of the ScotRail franchise and with the investment in new and upgraded machines at station car parks, this will make it easier for customers to choose how they pay for their parking.”
For further information please contact communications@scotrail.co.uk or call 0141 555 4247.
The ScotRail Alliance will keep customers moving during the upcoming improvement works on the Borders Railway.
On 30 September and 7 October the ScotRail Alliance will put on buses to allow customers to continue their journey while work takes place to renew sections of track between Edinburgh and Gorebridge. Train services between Gorebridge and Tweedbank will run as normal.
Rob Shorthouse, ScotRail Alliance communications director, said: “We are working hard to build the best railway that Scotland has ever had. We know that any disruption to services can be a pain for customers but all this work is essential to ensuring we can continue to deliver a first class service on the Borders line.
“Customers can find out more about these changes and what it means for their own journey by visiting the ScotRail website or by downloading our free app. Even although customers’ normal journey might be different while this work is going on, we will keep people moving.”
The first of the ScotRail Alliance’s high-speed trains has arrived in Aberdeen for driver training ahead of the fleet being rolled out next year.
When the fully refurbished fleet has entered passenger service, the high-speed trains will connect Scotland’s seven cities.
The first train will be based in Aberdeen, from where it will travel the network in the North East of Scotland for driver training over the coming months.
Key features of the high-speed trains include:
– More seats
– Increased luggage space
– Power sockets at seats
– Enhanced on-board catering
ScotRail Alliance Managing Director Alex Hynes said:
“The arrival of the first high-speed train in Aberdeen is an exciting milestone in our plan to build the best railway Scotland has ever had. Our refurbished high-speed trains will connect Scotland’s seven cities, offering better connections for commuters, business travellers and an opportunity for tourists to get out and about across this great country.
“The refurbished high-speed trains will mean more seats, better services and an improved experience for our customers.
“The investment we are making in high-speed trains is a clear sign of the ScotRail Alliance’s commitment to building a world class railway for the whole of Scotland.”
Humza Yousaf, Minister for Transport and the Islands, said:
“It is great to see this train arrive in Scotland for driver training, an important step towards delivery. Next year sees the start of a transformed inter-city service – connecting Scotland’s seven cities with high-speed trains.
“The refurbishment programme has already started. And when the 26 fully upgraded trains roll out across the country, I know they will be popular with passengers: more seats, better journeys, the latest standard of comfort, better accessibility, and enhanced catering.”
The high-speed trains will be leased from Angel Trains. CEO Malcolm Brown said:
“We are delighted to have delivered the first of our high-speed train fleet to ScotRail to enable driver training to commence.
“The fleet will undergo interior and technical improvements prior to entering into passenger service to ensure that it can meet the requirements of modern intercity travellers.
“With the support of Transport Scotland and ScotRail, Angel Trains has committed to invest in excess of £50m in the fleet in the coming years. We will be excited to see this fleet introduced next year.”
Electric car owners are now benefitting from free fast-charging facilities at ScotRail Alliance stations.
The first of 50 chargers are now live, with the remainder set to follow over the coming weeks.
The chargers at Uphall, Bathgate, East Kilbride and Johnstone are available to all customers parking at the stations and are free to use. A complete charge from the 22kW supply will typically take around four hours, twice as fast as ‘plugging-in’ at home.
A total of 100 spaces will be created at 50 of the ScotRail Alliance’s station car parks by the end of the year, joining over 700 publicly-available charge points across the country.
Joining the chargers are a fleet of four electric vans, which have been leased as part of the ScotRail Alliance’s work to reduce our environmental impact. The Nissan NV200s replace a number of existing diesel vehicles.
The ScotRail Alliance’s programmes and transformation director, Ian McConnell, said:
“We’re building the best railway Scotland has ever had, and improved facilities for customers at our stations is a huge part of this.
“These additions to our car parks, combined with longer trains, more seats and better services, will all help us to achieve our aim of reducing the carbon footprint from door to door.”
Rebecca Roper, Community Manager at ChargePlace Scotland, said:
“We are delighted to welcome the new ScotRail Alliance charge points onto the growing ChargePlace Scotland network.
“The addition of these charge points presents the opportunity for greener commuting and travel, and also provides more recharging options at convenient locations for the increasing number of electric vehicles on Scotland’s roads.”
Image: The new electric car charger at Bathgate station. Credit ScotRail Alliance.
– 80 percent of £million giveaway tickets gone in 5 hours
– Customers snapped up tickets at a rate of 3 per second
Over 80 percent of ScotRail’s free off-peak tickets were snapped up within 5 hours of launching the Million Pound Giveaway.
At its peak, three tickets a second were being given away – amounting to over 10,000 per hour.
The free tickets were available on routes across the country, including journeys linking Scotland’s ‘seven cities’, as well as the scenic routes to Fort William and the Kyle of Lochalsh.
Rob Shorthouse, ScotRail Alliance Communications Director, said: “Our million pound ticket giveaway is proving to be hugely popular. Our website suppliers told us that the first hour of the giveaway was more like the first hour of Glastonbury tickets going on sale. It was just incredible.
“We are building the best railway that Scotland has ever had. We are just delighted that so many people have taken up our offer to have a day out in our beautiful country on us.”
Image: ScotRail Alliance managing director Alex Hynes promotes the Million Pound Giveaway with team members from Edinburgh Waverley. (Credit: ScotRail Alliance).
The ScotRail Alliance is giving away £1 million worth of free off-peak tickets to some of Scotland’s top destinations.
The giveaway is both a thanks to customers and an opportunity to showcase the huge variety of places that the rail network covers.
These FREE OFF-PEAK DAY RETURN rail tickets are available to claim online, on a first-come-first-served basis, from 10am on 6 September until the offer closes on 15 September. Those who get free tickets must use them between 18 September and 30 November.
This leisure ticket giveaway follows a season ticket ‘thank you’ offer earlier this year, when the ScotRail Alliance and Transport Scotland jointly funded a week’s free travel for monthly and annual season ticket holders.
The ScotRail Alliance’s Managing Director Alex Hynes said: “We’re in the middle of building the best railway Scotland has ever had and this leisure travel offer is part of getting customers involved. Scotland’s rail network offers some spectacular scenery and we’d love as many customers as possible to get out there and enjoy it.
“These tickets are a way of giving some of our customers a free means to do so. We expect high demand, so my advice is claim your tickets early and enjoy the journey!”
Humza Yousaf, Minister for Transport and the Islands said: “I am delighted to see the ScotRail Alliance deliver this leisure ticket giveaway as part of our ongoing efforts to recognise and reward passengers for their custom and patience while we invest £5 billion to help transform Scotland’s railways. This builds on the free week for regular travellers earlier this year following the essential works at Queen Street Tunnel and Winchburgh, which was a testing experience.
“Our ambitious programme will bring enhanced station facilities and services with new, longer, faster, greener electric trains, alongside intercity trains connecting our cities. This should encourage more people out of their cars, bringing with that environmental and health benefits.”
For further information please email communications@scotrail.co.uk
Photo caption: The ScotRail Alliance’s Fiona Nicol, Alex Hynes and Ivelin Bilchev celebrate the £1m ticket giveaway
The ScotRail Alliance is asking customers to check their journey times before they travel, as improvement works are taking place two Saturdays in September on routes through East Lothian.
As part of our work to build the best railway Scotland has ever had, essential track maintenance work is taking place on the east coast mainline. On Saturdays 16 and 23 September, buses replace trains between Edinburgh and Dunbar. Buses also replace trains to North Berwick on 23 September while the essential engineering work takes place.
Rob Shorthouse, ScotRail Alliance communications director, said: “We are working hard to build the best railway that Scotland has ever had. We know that having your regular journey changed can be a pain, but all this work really is going to be worth it. We are carrying out the biggest upgrade to the network since it was built in Victorian times – and it will mean more seats, faster, more reliable journeys and more and better services.
“You can find out more about these changes and what it means for your own journey by visiting the ScotRail website or by downloading our free app. Even although your normal journey might be different while this work is going on, we will keep you moving.”
The ScotRail Alliance will mark World Suicide Prevention Day 2017 by offering support to people all across Scotland.
Conversation Cafés will see representatives from the Samaritans, NH24 Breathing Space, Railway Chaplains, SAMH and other organisations, engaging and meeting customers on train services and at stations this week.
The teams behind the Conversation Cafés will be small groups travelling around our network, engaging passengers in conversations about mental health issues; signposting them, or their friends and family, to someone they can talk to in confidence when they are feeling down.
Conversation Cafés will be delivered on 14 routes across Scotland, and stalls will be held at Inverness, Haymarket, Edinburgh Waverley, Glasgow Central and Aberdeen stations.
World Suicide Prevention Day 2017 is marked on 10 September.
Iluska Sandor, ScotRail Alliance safety validation manager, said:
“We are proud to be supporting World Suicide Prevention Day again this year by working with other groups to encourage people to seek help if they need it.
“Offering a smile and a hello, as well as information about where professional support can be found, could make a big difference to people’s lives. If even just one person who is going through a difficult time can get the help they need, then it will be worthwhile.”
Sheila Ottiwell, Samaritans regional director for Scotland, said:
“We are delighted to be supporting these events with the ScotRail Alliance, Railway Mission, Breathing Space and others as part of suicide prevention awareness week in the build-up to World Suicide Prevention Day, on 10 September.
“Suicide affects so many people each year, and these community events can help us reach a huge number of people across Scotland.
“The latest suicide figures in Scotland for 2016 showed the first increase in six years, which further highlights the importance of community activities such as these.”
Three and a half million people passed through Waverley station in August – a seven per cent increase compared to 2016.
The second weekend of the Edinburgh festivals was the busiest few days of the month, with 384,000 people passing through the station in just three days.
The ScotRail Alliance increased the number of services to and from Edinburgh during the festivals, including late-night journeys. The number of carriages on trains was also significantly increased.
Edinburgh Waverley station manager Juliet Donnachie said:
“For three and a half million people to have travelled through Waverley during August shows the impact of the festivals.
“Getting people to and from Edinburgh during the festivals is a massive operation, and our station teams at Waverley and across the network did a great job helping customers travel about hassle free.
“The festivals are a chance to showcase Edinburgh, and the country, to the world. We are delighted to have played such an important part in making the festivals a success.”
The ScotRail Alliance has donated more than £33,000 to MND Scotland in a bid to find a cure for the terminal illness.
The news comes after ScotRail Alliance staff took part in a zip slide across the River Clyde on Saturday (26 August) to raise funds for the charity.
ScotRail Alliance staff have raised more than £14,500 through fundraisers – including dress down days and staff donations through payroll – and the business has donated almost £19,000 through ‘in kind’ support. ‘In kind’ support includes providing advertising space at train stations free of charge.
In March, the ScotRail Alliance announced a three-year partnership with MND Scotland. The goal is to raise £150,000 over the course of the three years.
Client and Communications Director Rob Shorthouse, who took part in the zip slide event, said:
“MND Scotland is a charity that is really close to my heart, particularly since we lost my friend Gordon Aikman to the illness earlier this year.
“We are very proud at the ScotRail Alliance to have a three-year partnership with MND Scotland, and we’ve made a great start. I can’t pretend that I particularly enjoyed the zip slide across the Clyde, but it was all for a good cause.
“We have managed to raise a lot of money to find a cure for motor neurone disease and to raise awareness of this illness.”
Morag McGown, Corporate Partnerships Manager at MND Scotland, said:
“The zip slide was a great day and we were thrilled to see so many ScotRail Alliance staff getting involved.
“This is the first big event of the three-year partnership and we cannot believe the team managed to raise so much. These funds will go towards helping us support people across Scotland who are affected by motor neurone disease and fund more research to find a cure for this devastating illness.
“Next up is our Firewalk on 13th October, at Hampden Park, where more staff will brave the flames and walk across 20 feet of fire burning hot enough to melt aluminium.”
