First ScotRail
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| Franchise(s): | ScotRail 17. October 2004 – 2011 |
| Main Region(s): | Scotland |
| Other Region(s): | West Coast Main Line (as Caledonian Sleeper) Cumbria Northumberland Newcastle-upon-Tyne |
| Fleet size: | 309 |
| Stations: | 336 |
| Parent company: | First Group |
| Web site: | www.firstscotrail.com |
First ScotRail is the brand under which First Group PLC runs its railway franchise to operate all domestic passenger services within Scotland, as well as the cross-border Caledonian Sleeper service to London, England. First ScotRail's Headquarters is situated in Glasgow on Waterloo Street in a refurbished building called Atrium Court, they moved here from Caledonian Chambers again situated in Glasgow. First Group has its headquarters in Aberdeen, Scotland.
On 17 October 2004 the franchise was transferred to First Group from National Express resulting in the rebranding from ScotRail to First ScotRail. This was the first time the franchise has been renegotiated since the privatisation of British Rail. Franchises are now controlled by the Scottish Executive but on this occasion was dealt with by the Strategic Rail Authority as their agent.
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[edit] Network
The First ScotRail network is a mixture of long-distance, commuter and rural lines, totalling 2,729 km (1,696 miles), handling 66.1 million passenger journeys in 2003-4.
The densest part of the network is the suburban network around Glasgow, consisting of 183 stations — the second largest suburban rail network in the UK after London. Much of it is 25kV AC electrified. Glasgow’s main terminal stations are Central Station and Queen Street Station. Although First ScotRail operate the trains in this area, they do so under the Strathclyde Partnership for Transport (SPT) name.
Edinburgh’s suburban network is less dense than Glasgow’s, but is still relatively extensive. Edinburgh’s main station is Waverley Station.
Express services operate between Edinburgh, Glasgow, Inverness and Aberdeen. The Highland Main Line links Inverness to the south.
Rural lines include the scenic West Highland Line, Kyle Line and Far North Line. These are not generally well used, but are kept open for a variety of reasons, including social necessity, tourism and political considerations.
The company also operates some services that venture south of the border; principally the Caledonian Sleeper services to London Euston, along the West Coast Main Line, and a twice daily cross country service between Newcastle-upon-Tyne and Stranraer via Carlisle and Kilmarnock.
The majority of Scotland’s 340 passenger stations are operated by First ScotRail with Network Rail retaining ownership — the exception being Prestwick International Airport station, which is both owned and operated by the airport. Only three other stations in Scotland are not operated by First ScotRail: Dunbar (GNER), Edinburgh Waverley (Network Rail) and Glasgow Central (Network Rail). Curiously, they operate Lockerbie railway station but none of their services call there.
[edit] Fleet
The present diesel fleet is comprised of a mixture of Class 156 Super Sprinter and Class 158 Express Sprinter units, which were acquired during the British Rail era, and Class 170 Turbostar sets acquired post-privatisation.
The present electric fleet includes Class 314, Class 318, Class 320, Class 322 and Class 334 Juniper units.
The Scotland-Euston overnight services are comprised of ex-InterCity Mark 2 and Mark 3 sleeper coaches, which are hauled by EWS locomotives.
During 2005, the Edinburgh-North Berwick line were operated by EWS-Class 90 electric locomotives with former Virgin Trains Mark 3 coaches. In late 2005, Class 322 units were reintroduced onto the line. A refurbishment program is taking place for these units. It is considered bad use of resources to use diesel trains on an entirely-electric line, thus precluding the use of shorter Turbostar units.
ScotRail has previously operated Class 101 and Class 117 diesel units, and Class 303 and Class 305 electric units, but these have now all been withdrawn. ScotRail has also operated Class 150 diesel but these have transferred to other operators following deliveries of new trains.
[edit] Performance in late 2004
The performance figures for National Express’s last quarter as franchise holders, July to September 2004, are:
- 82.8% of trains arriving within 5 minutes of the scheduled time. Down 4.2% on the same quarter the previous year.
- 84.2% of trains arriving within 5 minutes of the scheduled time. Down 1.0% on the previous year as a whole.
The performance figures for First Group’s first quarter as franchise holders, October to December 2004, are:
- 79.8% of trains arriving within 5 minutes of the scheduled time. Down 1.9% on the same quarter the previous year
- 83.7% of trains arriving within 5 minutes of the schedules time. Down 0.5% on the previous year as a whole.
Note: First Group did not start operating the franchise until 17 October 2004.
[edit] See also
- Other train operating companies operating in Scotland:
[edit] References
- Scottish Executive. Scottish Transport Statistics No. 24: 2005 Edition. Accessed on October 2, 2005.
- Scottish Parliament Information Centre. Changes to the regulation of Scotland's railways. Accessed on October 2, 2005.
- RailBritain.com. First ScotRail fleet size as of December 2004. Accessed on October 2, 2005.
[edit] External links
- First ScotRail
- Strategic Rail Authority announcement on the franchise transfer to First Group
- First Scotrail Recruitment Website
| Preceded by ScotRail |
Operator of ScotRail franchise 2004-present |
Succeeded by N/A |
| Domestic: | Arriva Trains Wales - c2c - Central Trains1 - Chiltern Railways - First Capital Connect First Great Western - First ScotRail - Grand Central2 - GNER - Heathrow Connect Hull Trains - Island Line3 - Merseyrail - Midland Mainline1 - Northern Rail Northern Ireland Railways4 - 'one' - Silverlink1 - Southeastern - Southern South West Trains - TransPennine Express - Virgin Trains (VWC - VXC1) |
|---|---|
| International: | Enterprise4 - Eurostar |
| Airport Link: | Gatwick Express - Heathrow Express - Stansted Express5 |
| Sleeper: | Caledonian Sleeper6 - Night Riviera7 |
| 1 Ends November 2007 - 2 Starts 20 May 2007 - 3 Operated by South West Trains 4 Operated on the Irish railway network - 5 Operated by 'one' - 6 Operated by First ScotRail 7 Operated by First Great Western |
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| Future passenger train operators and franchises in Great Britain | |
|---|---|
| New Franchises: | Cross Country1 - East Midlands1 - InterCity East Coast - London Overground1 West Midlands1 |
| Proposed open-access operators: |
Glasgow Trains2 - Grand Union2 - Humber & City2 - Wrexham & Shropshire3 |
| 1 Starts November 2007 - 2 Proposed - 3 Awaiting Approval | |
| Defunct train operating companies: | |
|---|---|
| InterCity: | Anglia Railways - Great Western Trains |
| London & South East: | Connex South Central - Connex South Eastern - First Great Eastern - First Great Western Link South Eastern Trains - Thames Trains - Thameslink - wagn |
| Regional/National: | Arriva Trains Merseyside - Arriva Trains Northern - First North Western - MTL - North Western Trains Northern Spirit - ScotRail - Valley Lines - Wales and Borders - Wales and West - Wessex Trains |
