THE Scottish railways operator has dismissed a report which said nationalisation would improve services to the public as "lacking credibility".
Dutch public transport firm Abellio has hit back at study produced by the Common Weal think tank for the TSSA union which said that nationalised Scottish railways would lead to average fare cuts of 6.5 per cent across the service and the "potential" to provide the same source of "collective pride" that is felt about the NHS.
The said the railways could be under public ownership as soon as as 2020 and claims "there is every reason to believe a publicly-run ScotRail could achieve a greater level of service than its predecessors".
A frame from TSSA's call for nationalisation video.
The report, said there was "every reason to believe a publicly-run Scotrail could achieve a greater level of service than its predecessors".
But Andrew McIntyre, head of policy and communications in Scotland for Abellio, which currently runs Scotland's railways said the report "misrepresents" how the rail industry operates in Scotland.
"Scotland’s rail operation is owned in perpetuity by the Scottish Government, who then lets a contract to operators to deliver this vital public service on their behalf. These contracts cover a strictly defined period, with all key strategic and investment decisions made by the Scottish Government," he said.
The partnership between Abellio, Network Rail and the Scottish Government was "unlocking unprecedented levels of investment to build the best railway that Scotland has ever had".
Mr McIntyre said: "Suggesting, as TSSA does, that a public sector operator would have the means or the ability to do things better than under the current model lacks credibility."
He said that the introduction of electric trains to the Central Belt next year will "help slash journey times, increase reliability and, crucially, offer our customers more seats than ever before".
He added in a letter to the Herald: "We will also create an inter-city network that will link up our seven cities, a first for Scotland."
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