First ScotRail

ScotRail Railways Ltd (company number SC185018) is the FirstGroup train operating company running domestic passenger trains within Scotland and the cross-border Caledonian Sleeper service to London using the brand ScotRail which is the property of the Scottish Government. The service was initially operated as First ScotRail but was rebranded ScotRail: Scotland's Railway in September 2008.

The ScotRail brand was originally used for services provided in Scotland by British Rail. After privatisation, the Scottish rail franchise was called ScotRail. 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 re-let since the privatisation of British Rail. The Scottish franchises are now controlled by the Scottish Government but on this occasion was dealt with by the Strategic Rail Authority as its agent.

2008 rebrand


In September 2008 the Scottish Government's agency Transport Scotland announced that all First ScotRail trains, including those in the Strathclyde Partnership for Transport, would be repainted in a new blue livery with white Saltire markings on the carriage ends. The services will rebranded with less emphasis on the "First" and will be marketed as "ScotRail: Scotland's Railway". The first unit to receive the new livery was 170434, unveiled at Glasgow Queen Street on 22 September 2008.

Network
The ScotRail network is a mixture of long-distance, commuter and rural lines, totalling 1,696 miles (2,729 km), handling 66.1 million passenger journeys in 2003-4.

Main lines
Express trains operate between Edinburgh, Glasgow, Inverness, Dundee and Aberdeen. The Highland Main Line links Inverness to the south. Some stretches of main line, such as the Highland Main Line, are single track, and express trains must call at intermediate stations to permit trains coming in the opposite direction to pass.

The main lines of Scotland are:
 * Ayrshire Coast Line
 * Edinburgh to Aberdeen Line
 * Fife Circle Line
 * Glasgow-Edinburgh via Carstairs Line
 * Glasgow-Edinburgh via Falkirk Line
 * Glasgow to Aberdeen Line
 * Glasgow South Western Line
 * Highland Main Line
 * Tay Coast Line

Glasgow
The densest part of the network is the suburban network around Glasgow, with 183 stations, the second-largest suburban rail network in the UK, after London. Much of it is 25 kV AC electrified. Glasgow’s main terminal stations are Central and Queen Street stations. ScotRail operate trains in this area under the Strathclyde Partnership for Transport (SPT) brand. However, the Strathclyde Partnership for Transport no longer has any input into specifying rail services in the Glasgow area. DMUs and EMUs that are livered in the carmine and cream livery are being stripped of the Strathclyde logos. Lines in and around Glasgow are:

The North Clyde Line will eventually be linked to the Edinburgh-Bathgate Line (see Edinburgh, below) when the Airdrie-Bathgate Rail Link is completed, creating a new direct link between Glasgow and Edinburgh. There is also a proposal to create a new rail link across the city with the Crossrail Glasgow project.

Edinburgh


Edinburgh’s suburban network is less dense than Glasgow’s. Edinburgh’s main station is Waverley. The main railway line through the city centre runs in a cutting immediately below Edinburgh Castle. A secondary station is at Haymarket in the west of the city. Railway lines running north from Edinburgh to Fife and the Highlands cross the Firth of Forth via the Forth Bridge. Lines in and around Edinburgh are:
 * Edinburgh-Bathgate Line (to be extended to Glasgow )
 * Edinburgh Crossrail
 * Edinburgh-Dunblane line
 * North Berwick Line
 * Shotts Line
 * Waverley Line (under construction)
 * Edinburgh to Aberdeen Line

The Edinburgh rail network is being expanded with the construction of the Waverley Line to the Borders, and the Edinburgh-Bathgate Line will be extended by the Airdrie-Bathgate Rail Link. A project to open a rail link to Edinburgh Airport was cancelled in September 2007 by the Scottish Government in favour of construction of a station at nearby Gogar which will connect with the Edinburgh tram network to take passengers to the terminal. A proposal to re-open the Edinburgh suburban railway line has been made by campaigning groups.

Rural lines
Rural lines include the scenic West Highland Line, Kyle Line and Far North Line. These lines carry more passengers, mostly tourists, during the summer months, but provide a valuable link and social service during the winter months.

Many rural lines are single track. Trains terminating at the coastal towns of Oban, Mallaig and Kyle of Lochalsh connect with the Caledonian MacBrayne ferry services to islands including such as Skye, Mull and Lewis.

Corrour railway station, an isolated stop on Rannoch Moor on the West Highland Line, featured as a location in the 1996 film Trainspotting.

The rural lines are:
 * Aberdeen-Inverness Line
 * Far North Line
 * Kyle of Lochalsh Line
 * West Highland Line

InterCity and Sleeper services
ScotRail operates some services that venture south of the border: principally the Caledonian Sleeper 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.

Stations
The majority of Scotland’s 340 passenger stations are operated by ScotRail under Network Rail ownership. Glasgow Prestwick Airport station is owned and operated by the airport, Dunbar is operated by East Coast, and Edinburgh Waverley and Glasgow Central by Network Rail itself. ScotRail operates Lockerbie railway station but none of its services call there.

Current fleet
The diesel fleet comprises a mixture of Class 156 Super Sprinter and Class 158 Express Sprinter units inherited from British Rail, and Class 170 Turbostar sets acquired post-privatisation. Eight Class 158s are subleased from Northern Rail, which are set to be returned in December 2010 when Northern Rail's sublease for three Class 180 units (from National Express East Coast) expires.

The electric fleet includes Class 314, Class 318, Class 320, Class 322 and Class 334 Juniper units. All of the EMU fleet are currently receiving C4 overhaul.

The Scotland-Euston overnight services comprise ex-InterCity Mark 2 and Mark 3 sleeper coaches, hauled by DB Schenker locomotives. In 2006, ScotRail came to an agreement with DB Schenker to use a small dedicated fleet of Class 90 locomotives between London and Edinburgh/Glasgow. This fleet is painted in ScotRail livery with a small DB Schenker logo beneath the cab.

During 2005, the Edinburgh-North Berwick line services 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. These units were all refurbished and repainted into the First ScotRail livery.

The previous operator of the Scottish franchise (National Express - ScotRail) used Class 101 diesel units and Class 303 electric units, but these had all been withdrawn prior to First ScotRail taking over the franchise.

ScotRail has also operated Class 150 diesel units, but these have transferred to other operators following deliveries of new trains.

Following the new timetable, ScotRail has been running a DB Schenker Class 67 along with their Mk2 carriages on the Fife Circle on the most intense services allowing Class 158s and 170s to work elsewhere.

Future fleet
Transport Scotland have funded the acquisition of 38 Class 380 Siemens Desiro EMUs, to enter service from late 2010. These trains will operate Ayrshire, Inverclyde and Renfrewshire services, adding extra capacity and allowing the cascade of existing stock to the new Glasgow to Edinburgh services via the reopened Airdrie to Bathgate line.

Performance
Performance figures for National Express’s last quarter as franchise holder, July to September 2004, were:

Performance figures for First Group’s first quarter as franchise holder, October to December 2004, were:

First Group started operating the franchise on 17 October 2004.

The performance figures released by the Office for Rail Regulation (ORR) are as follows: Note:
 * The percentage change figures are not the actual increases in % but the percentage increase in the % value.
 * These values are very similar to the sector performance level.

Controversy
In June 2009 a report by Strathclyde Partnership for Transport revealed passenger figures from ScotRail contain 7.2 million more passenger journeys than were actually made. Transport Scotland said this gross overestimate did not affect the decision to extend the franchise. (The franchise having been extended under controversial conditions in 2008.)