
3 February 2025
RMT Press Office:
Rail union RMT, has condemned the appointment of Professor Iain Docherty as Chair of Scottish Rail Holdings, warning that it does nothing to address the needs of Scotland’s railway.
With ticket office opening hours facing cuts, the Scottish Government’s vision for Scotland’s rail network is one of de-staffing by stealth.
These cuts, sanctioned by the Scottish Government, will affect 101 of its 143 staffed stations and would see ticket office hours reduced by a staggering 2,800 per week, jeopardising safety, accessibility, and quality of service for passengers.
RMT General Secretary Mick Lynch said: “This appointment will not change the fact that the Scottish Government is undermining Scotland’s railway by trying to push through ticket office hours reductions.
"In 2021 Professor Docherty
, a former non-executive director of both ScotRail and Transport Scotland, made a blatant attempt to further a cuts agenda that would be devastating for Scotland’s railway.
"His report advocated service cuts, ticket office closures and job losses across the network.
“Scotland’s railway should be fully staffed, publicly owned, and run in the interests of the people who rely on it—not subject to managed decline.
"We need investment in services, not cuts that leave passengers worse off.”
RMT will continue to campaign against ticket office hours reductions, any potential job losses, and further attempts to undermine Scotland’s railway as a safe, accessible, and properly staffed public service.
END
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