Nicola Sturgeon is set to shunt Westminster rail reforms into the sidings by snubbing flagship new public body Great British Railways.
Officials for Transport Scotland and Scotland’s Railway last week poured scorn on Grant Shapps’ plans for Great British Railways (GBR) at a conference in Glasgow.
Alex Hynes, managing director of Scotland’s Railway, set out his priorities during a question and answer session entitled “what structure is needed to ensure rail thrives”.
“You’ll notice GBR isn’t one of our top five priorities,” he said, according to attendees.
Bill Reeve, rail director at Transport Scotland, then ruled out using GBR’s livery or branding north of the border.
The remarks come as Ms Sturgeon tightens her grip on Scotland’s railways. Train services will be nationalised from April 1 following a row with the current operator Abellio over cancellations and performance levels.
GBR is the central plank of rail reforms announced last May by Boris Johnson and Mr Shapps. The body will centralise operations, bringing track and trains back under the control of one body in the biggest shake-up in more than 25 years.
The Prime Minister said at the time: “I am a great believer in rail, but for too long passengers have not had the level of service they deserve. By creating Great British Railways, and investing in the future of the network, this Government will deliver a rail system the country can be proud of.”
By establishing a new public body, government meddling in the day-to-day running of the railways was supposed to be reduced.
However, setting up GBR is now expected to take some time, with it and associated reforms unlikely to become a reality before the next election.
Meanwhile, constraints on spending by the Treasury are hampering efforts to get many reforms up and running.
A spokesman for Transport Scotland said: “The UK Government rail review states that existing devolved responsibilities will be maintained under its rail reform programme, so the ScotRail brand will continue on Scotland’s Railway.
“Our ‘ScotRail’ brand is a long standing and widely recognised brand, not just in Scotland but across the UK and internationally, providing a consistent and recognisable look across Scotland’s rail network.”
A spokesman for the Department for Transport said: “A coherent, consistent and clearly branded railway network will give passengers confidence in using it.
“We look forward to conversations about how the establishment of GBR will benefit Scotland and ensure all of Great Britain is served by one network.”
