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{{Infobox Rail companies |bgcolor=white|image_filename=170433_at_Edinburgh_Waverley.JPG|widthpx=300px|franchise=ScotRail
17. October 2004 – 2011|logo_filename=ScotRaillogo.jpg|nameforarea=Region|regions=Scotland
(as [Caledonian Sleeper)
Cumbria
Northumberland
Newcastle upon Tyne|website=www.firstscotrail.com|-->First ScotRail is the [brand under which FirstGroup Public limited company runs its railway franchising to operate all domestic passenger services within Scotland, as well as the cross-border Caledonian Sleeper service to London. 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.

The brand name ScotRail was originally used to denote services provided in Scotland by British Rail. After privatisation, the Scottish rail franchise was called ScotRail and the name has since been inherited by its train operating companies. On 17 October 2004 the franchise was transferred to First Group from National Express Group resulting in the rebranding from ScotRail to First ScotRail{{cite news | title = FirstGroup Plc ScotRail Franchise Signed | publisher = FirstGroup press release | date = 20 August 2004 | url = http://www.firstgroup.com/scotrail/content/news/view-scotrail-press-release.php?id=00000000022 | accessdate = 2007-10-04 -->. 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.

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.

Main lines Express services 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 services must call at intermediate stations to permit trains coming in the opposite direction to pass.

The main lines of Scotland are as follows:

Glasgow

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 Railway electrification in Great Britain. Glasgow’s main terminal stations are Glasgow Central railway station and Glasgow Queen Street railway station. Although First ScotRail operate the trains in this area, they do so under the Strathclyde Partnership for Transport (SPT) brand. The lines in and around Glasgow are defined as follows:

Construction work has already started on the rail link to Glasgow Airport, and it is anticipated that this service will begin operation in 2009. The North Clyde Line will eventually be linked to the Edinburgh-Bathgate Line (see Edinburgh, below) when the proposed 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, but is still relatively extensive. Edinburgh’s main station is Edinburgh Waverley railway station. The main railway line that passes through the city centre runs in a cutting immediately below Edinburgh Castle. A secondary station is located at Haymarket railway station 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 (railway). The lines in and around Edinburgh are defined as follows:

The Edinburgh rail network is being expanded with the construction of the Waverley Line to the Borders, and the Edinburgh-Bathgate Line will eventually form part of the Airdrie-Bathgate Rail Link. A project to open a Edinburgh Airport railway station was cancelled in September 2007 by the Scottish Executive{{cite news | title = It's £30m down the drain | publisher = The Scotsman | url = http://news.scotsman.com/topics.cfm?tid=607&id=1546642007 | accessdate = 2007-10-02 --> . A proposal to re-open the Edinburgh Suburban and Southside Junction Railway has been made by campaigning groups[http://www.reopenthesouthsub.org.uk/ Capital Rail Action Group website .

Rural lines 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 in Scotland and Politics of Scotland considerations.

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

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

The rural lines run along the following routes:



InterCity and Sleeper services 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.

Stations train in First ScotRail livery at InvernessThe majority of Scotland’s 340 passenger stations are operated by First ScotRail with Network Rail retaining ownership — the exception being Glasgow 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 railway station (GNER), Edinburgh Waverley (Network Rail) and Glasgow Central (Network Rail). Curiously, ScotRail operate Lockerbie railway station but none of their services call there.

Fleet train in the old National Express ScotRail livery at ObanThe present diesel fleet comprises a mixture of British Rail Class 156 and British Rail Class 158 units, which were acquired during the British Rail era, and British Rail Class 170 sets acquired post-privatisation.

The present electric fleet includes British Rail Class 314, British Rail Class 318, British Rail Class 320, British Rail Class 322 and British Rail Class 334 units.

The Scotland-Euston overnight services comprise ex-InterCity (British Rail) British Rail Mark 2 and British Rail Mark 3 Sleeping car coaches, which are hauled by EWS locomotives.

During 2005, the Edinburgh-North Berwick line were operated by EWS-British Rail Class 90 electric locomotives with former Virgin Trains Mark 3 coaches. 2005, British Rail 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.

The previous operator of the Scottsh franchise (ScotRail) have previously operated British Rail Class 101, British Rail Class 303, British Rail Class 305 & British Rail Class 311 electric units, but these were all been withdrawn prior to First ScotRail taking over the franchise..

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

{| class="wikitable"|----- bgcolor=#f9f9f9! rowspan="2" |Class! rowspan="2" |Image! rowspan="2" |Type! colspan="2" |Top speed! rowspan="2" |Number! rowspan="2" |Routes operated! rowspan="2" |Built|----- bgcolor=#f9f9f9!mph!km/h|-|British Rail Class 156||Diesel multiple unit - [Oban/Fort William
Fort William - Mallaig
Glasgow - Stranraer
Glasgow - Carlisle
Newcastle upon Tyne - Stranraer
Glasgow - Paisley
Glasgow - East Kilbride
Glasgow - Whifflet||[Diesel multiple unit - [Edinburgh
Glasgow - Perth, Scotland/Dundee
Edinburgh - Aberdeen
Aberdeen - Inverness
Inverness - Kyle of Lochalsh
Inverness - Wick||[Diesel multiple unit - [Edinburgh
Glasgow - Aberdeen
Glasgow - Inverness
Edinburgh - Aberdeen
Edinburgh - Inverness
Edinburgh - Fife||[Electric multiple unit
[Glasgow - Neilston
Glasgow - Newton (South Lanarkshire) railway station
Glasgow - Gourock
Glasgow - Wemyss Bay||[Electric multiple unit - [Ayr
Glasgow - Largs
Glasgow - Ardrossan
Glasgow - Wemyss Bay
Glasgow - Gourock
Dalmuir - Lanark
Airdrie - Helensburgh
Milngavie - Springburn||[Electric multiple unit - [Helensburgh
Airdrie - Balloch
Springburn - Milngavie||[Electric multiple unit - [North Berwick
Edinburgh - North Berwick||[Electric multiple unit - [Ayr
Glasgow - Wemyss Bay
Glasgow - Gourock
Dalmuir - Motherwell, Scotland
Dalmuir - Lanark
Milngavie - Larkhall
Airdrie - Helensburgh
Dalmuir - Coatbridge||[Passenger Rolling stock - [Aberdeen
London - Edinburgh
London - Fort William
London - Glasgow
London - Inverness||[Passenger Rolling stock - [Aberdeen
London - Edinburgh
London - Fort William
London - Glasgow
London - Inverness|1975 - 1988|}

Performance The performance figures for National Express’s last quarter as franchise holders, July to September 2004, are:

The performance figures for First Group’s first quarter as franchise holders, October to December 2004, are:

Note: First Group did not start operating the franchise until 17 October 2004.

The latest performance figures to be released by the Office for Rail Regulation (ORR) ORR Statistics of the last quarter of the financial year 2006/7 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.

See also

References

External links


{{s-ttl|title=Operator of ScotRail franchise|years=2004 — present-->


{{Infobox Rail companies |bgcolor=white|image_filename=170433_at_Edinburgh_Waverley.JPG|widthpx=300px|franchise=ScotRail
17. October 2004 – 2011|logo_filename=ScotRaillogo.jpg|nameforarea=Region|regions=Scotland
(as [Caledonian Sleeper)
Cumbria
Northumberland
Newcastle upon Tyne|website=www.firstscotrail.com|-->First ScotRail is the [brand under which FirstGroup Public limited company runs its railway franchising to operate all domestic passenger services within Scotland, as well as the cross-border Caledonian Sleeper service to London. 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.

The brand name ScotRail was originally used to denote services provided in Scotland by British Rail. After privatisation, the Scottish rail franchise was called ScotRail and the name has since been inherited by its train operating companies. On 17 October 2004 the franchise was transferred to First Group from National Express Group resulting in the rebranding from ScotRail to First ScotRail{{cite news | title = FirstGroup Plc ScotRail Franchise Signed | publisher = FirstGroup press release | date = 20 August 2004 | url = http://www.firstgroup.com/scotrail/content/news/view-scotrail-press-release.php?id=00000000022 | accessdate = 2007-10-04 -->. 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.

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.

Main lines Express services 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 services must call at intermediate stations to permit trains coming in the opposite direction to pass.

The main lines of Scotland are as follows:

Glasgow

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 Railway electrification in Great Britain. Glasgow’s main terminal stations are Glasgow Central railway station and Glasgow Queen Street railway station. Although First ScotRail operate the trains in this area, they do so under the Strathclyde Partnership for Transport (SPT) brand. The lines in and around Glasgow are defined as follows:

Construction work has already started on the rail link to Glasgow Airport, and it is anticipated that this service will begin operation in 2009. The North Clyde Line will eventually be linked to the Edinburgh-Bathgate Line (see Edinburgh, below) when the proposed 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, but is still relatively extensive. Edinburgh’s main station is Edinburgh Waverley railway station. The main railway line that passes through the city centre runs in a cutting immediately below Edinburgh Castle. A secondary station is located at Haymarket railway station 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 (railway). The lines in and around Edinburgh are defined as follows:

The Edinburgh rail network is being expanded with the construction of the Waverley Line to the Borders, and the Edinburgh-Bathgate Line will eventually form part of the Airdrie-Bathgate Rail Link. A project to open a Edinburgh Airport railway station was cancelled in September 2007 by the Scottish Executive{{cite news | title = It's £30m down the drain | publisher = The Scotsman | url = http://news.scotsman.com/topics.cfm?tid=607&id=1546642007 | accessdate = 2007-10-02 --> . A proposal to re-open the Edinburgh Suburban and Southside Junction Railway has been made by campaigning groups[http://www.reopenthesouthsub.org.uk/ Capital Rail Action Group website .

Rural lines 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 in Scotland and Politics of Scotland considerations.

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

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

The rural lines run along the following routes:



InterCity and Sleeper services 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.

Stations train in First ScotRail livery at InvernessThe majority of Scotland’s 340 passenger stations are operated by First ScotRail with Network Rail retaining ownership — the exception being Glasgow 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 railway station (GNER), Edinburgh Waverley (Network Rail) and Glasgow Central (Network Rail). Curiously, ScotRail operate Lockerbie railway station but none of their services call there.

Fleet train in the old National Express ScotRail livery at ObanThe present diesel fleet comprises a mixture of British Rail Class 156 and British Rail Class 158 units, which were acquired during the British Rail era, and British Rail Class 170 sets acquired post-privatisation.

The present electric fleet includes British Rail Class 314, British Rail Class 318, British Rail Class 320, British Rail Class 322 and British Rail Class 334 units.

The Scotland-Euston overnight services comprise ex-InterCity (British Rail) British Rail Mark 2 and British Rail Mark 3 Sleeping car coaches, which are hauled by EWS locomotives.

During 2005, the Edinburgh-North Berwick line were operated by EWS-British Rail Class 90 electric locomotives with former Virgin Trains Mark 3 coaches. 2005, British Rail 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.

The previous operator of the Scottsh franchise (ScotRail) have previously operated British Rail Class 101, British Rail Class 303, British Rail Class 305 & British Rail Class 311 electric units, but these were all been withdrawn prior to First ScotRail taking over the franchise..

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

{| class="wikitable"|----- bgcolor=#f9f9f9! rowspan="2" |Class! rowspan="2" |Image! rowspan="2" |Type! colspan="2" |Top speed! rowspan="2" |Number! rowspan="2" |Routes operated! rowspan="2" |Built|----- bgcolor=#f9f9f9!mph!km/h|-|British Rail Class 156||Diesel multiple unit - [Oban/Fort William
Fort William - Mallaig
Glasgow - Stranraer
Glasgow - Carlisle
Newcastle upon Tyne - Stranraer
Glasgow - Paisley
Glasgow - East Kilbride
Glasgow - Whifflet||[Diesel multiple unit - [Edinburgh
Glasgow - Perth, Scotland/Dundee
Edinburgh - Aberdeen
Aberdeen - Inverness
Inverness - Kyle of Lochalsh
Inverness - Wick||[Diesel multiple unit - [Edinburgh
Glasgow - Aberdeen
Glasgow - Inverness
Edinburgh - Aberdeen
Edinburgh - Inverness
Edinburgh - Fife||[Electric multiple unit
[Glasgow - Neilston
Glasgow - Newton (South Lanarkshire) railway station
Glasgow - Gourock
Glasgow - Wemyss Bay||[Electric multiple unit - [Ayr
Glasgow - Largs
Glasgow - Ardrossan
Glasgow - Wemyss Bay
Glasgow - Gourock
Dalmuir - Lanark
Airdrie - Helensburgh
Milngavie - Springburn||[Electric multiple unit - [Helensburgh
Airdrie - Balloch
Springburn - Milngavie||[Electric multiple unit - [North Berwick
Edinburgh - North Berwick||[Electric multiple unit - [Ayr
Glasgow - Wemyss Bay
Glasgow - Gourock
Dalmuir - Motherwell, Scotland
Dalmuir - Lanark
Milngavie - Larkhall
Airdrie - Helensburgh
Dalmuir - Coatbridge||[Passenger Rolling stock - [Aberdeen
London - Edinburgh
London - Fort William
London - Glasgow
London - Inverness||[Passenger Rolling stock - [Aberdeen
London - Edinburgh
London - Fort William
London - Glasgow
London - Inverness|1975 - 1988|}

Performance The performance figures for National Express’s last quarter as franchise holders, July to September 2004, are:

The performance figures for First Group’s first quarter as franchise holders, October to December 2004, are:

Note: First Group did not start operating the franchise until 17 October 2004.

The latest performance figures to be released by the Office for Rail Regulation (ORR) ORR Statistics of the last quarter of the financial year 2006/7 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.

See also

References

External links


{{s-ttl|title=Operator of ScotRail franchise|years=2004 — present-->




First ScotRail
Information about the company running the Scottish rail franchise, including news, events, and details of services.

Maps
Plan your journey and register to check fares or buy tickets: Leaving from: Date of ... Station facilities; First class; Caledonian sleepers; Onboard facilities; Journey times

National Rail Enquiries - First ScotRail
The gateway to Britain's National Rail network. A portal into UK rail travel including train company information and promotions; train times; fares enquiries; ticket purchase and ...

National Rail Enquiries - Station Facilities for Linlithgow
Ramp for Train Access - Note: If you need assistance we recommend that you book at least 24 hours in advance of travel. All First ScotRail trains carry on-board ramps.

BBC - Travel News - First ScotRail
A continually updated, comprehensive guide to the current traffic and travel situation across the UK, compiled by the BBC Travel Unit

First ScotRail - No Data
Use First ScotRail online booking to find out times, book tickets and reserve seats for any train operator in mainland UK. ... If you cannot view this page please phone this number ...

First Scotrail - Train Tickets & Train Times online with directrail ...
Search for First Scotrail Train times and book a First Scot Rail train ticket simply and securely online and all at the lowest prices!

First ScotRail Recruitment
Our Vacancies Below is a list of our current vacancies: Booking Office - Station Grade B ; Executive Support Assistant - Part Time ; Night Shift Vehicle Presentation Staff; On ...

First ScotRail customer centre opened
Fort William centre provides 50 new jobs for Lochaber area. ... This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007

JourneyCheck - First ScotRail
Allows you to check your journey with a particular rail company ... First ScotRail may contact you from time to time with details of other products and offers we think ...

 

First Scotrail



 
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