31 March 2023
RMT Press Office:
Rail union, RMT urged new first minister Humza Yousaf to keep his promise of continued public ownership of ScotRail.
The union also called on Mr Yousaf to reverse the decline in Scotrail, by increasing services to pre-pandemic levels, investing in rail infrastructure and ruling out cuts to ScotRail ticket offices and jobs once and for all.
A recent Transport Scotland report recommended that increasing staff levels on public transport should be explored in order to make women and girls feel safer.
According to the report, increasing onboard staff on trains and other modes of public transport would "add significantly to women's sense of safety and may lead to an uptake in public transport at night."
During his successful election campaign Mr Yousaf said: “Bringing Scotrail and Sleeper Services into public hands was as much about energy as it is about building a safe, reliable, and accessible public transport system then. It is the belief of the SNP that a successful just transition relies, in part, on the public ownership of our rail. For that reason alone, I will commit categorically to keep Scotrail and Sleeper Services in public ownership.”
It is one year ago tomorrow (Saturday 1
st April) that Scotrail was taken into public ownership by the Scottish government.
RMT General Secretary Mick Lynch said:
“The certainty provided by the new First Minister that ScotRail and Caledonian Sleeper will remain in public ownership is very welcome and means all revenue can be reinvested in improving Scotland’s railway.
"The First Minister must also improve rail access and connectivity by increasing funding for infrastructure by reversing cuts to Scotrail services.
"We are also keen that he will act swiftly on Transport Scotland's report on improving safety of women and girls on public transport by ensuring adequate staffing levels and no closure of ticket offices on Scotland's railway stations"
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