THE Scottish Government seems determined to have Abellio stripped of its franchise at the earliest opportunity, come what may (“SNP hunt for operator of last resort in case ScotRail deal is axed”, The Herald, January 10).

Regardless of the merits or demerits of the present set-up and just how any resultant operation can be funded from the public purse if that is the outcome, remains to be seen. However, £5 million is being made available to have experts come forward to offer their expertise in how to run and operate rail services in what might be regarded as “in the meantime” pending, as it would appear, public sector bidding for the ScotRail franchise post 2025.

None of this will result in betterment unless and until service operators, public or private, are integrated and act in cohesion with Network Rail.

For the present, much of the angst of daily cancellations could have been avoided if ScotRail had simply taken services out of the advertised timetables and not left them to be dealt with as and when on a daily basis. In simple terms, run whatever can be provided with the staff and train crew available to do so. Duties such as driver training should have been over and above the daily workload.

In due course such withdrawn services could be reinstated when, it is hoped, more normal times and conditions return.

John Macnab,

175 Grahamsyke Street,

Laurieston,

Falkirk.

I WISH the Scottish Government would stop politicising the performance targets of Abellio.

Anyone looking into the reasons for the present situation will find that the “back-of-the-breakfast-cereal-box children’s-maze puzzle” leads straight back to Holyrood.

Transport Scotland and Network Rail bear the brunt of the responsibility for Abellio’s performance due in the main to insisting on undeliverable performance figures in the first place; ordering new trains that could never have been delivered on time; and to the abject failure to provide infrastructure improvements on the dates agreed. (Edinburgh to Glasgow electrification and ineffective sea wall storm protection improvements on the Saltcoats to Stevenson line, for instance.)

The Scottish Government’s should concentrate on assisting Abellio to secure the best service available, given the above parameters, instead of issuing unwarranted threats it must know would not not hold water if Abellio used litigation as its “operation of last resort”.

Archie Burleigh,

Meigle, Skelmorlie.

NICE to see ScotRail offering customers disrupted by poor service free trips on six weekends as compensation (“ScotRail offers free train travel”, The Herald, January 8). Suppose that, due to engineering works, it will be on the replacement bus service. Cynical, me?

Steve Barnet,

Broom Park, Gargunnock.