Yeah I remember that but they weren't blabbing it the press and often out of date.It seemed to be all over the press when I dispute. I can remember quite a number of years ago on a radio Scotland show and a scotrail manager said it was fine for them to tell the press what drivers earned but refused to say what he earned.
The problem with that strategy is your paying NR to run the network for a bigger service level whether you use it or not along with a high level of fixed cost in ScotRail operations means to save a few percent means will result in significant cutback in actual services run. This would be madness and just saddles Scottish taxpayers with an even higher burden for little benefit. This is how BR was targeted from 70's into early 80's until Bob Reid came into play and made the simple connection that actually running a service that people want to use was the best way to reduce the deficit/subsidy. Franchising gave that incentive to the operators and a commercial imperative to maintain good industrial relations until the Scottish govt started meddling things went along pretty well. Now we have the worst of all worlds with ScotRail run by outsiders being overseen by TfS and MSPs targeting headline payrises without seeing the bigger picture. The SNP also now have different priorities the main one trying to stay in power and that means tackling the stuff that matters to most of the Scottish electorate and that isn't the railways.
Ultimately, assuming nothing else changes, Scotrail will ask NR to reduce charges or they'll start closing lines. At the moment, any cost saving is a cost saving. Like all employers, the wage bill is the biggest expense, controlling that is key. Do you get enough extra income to justify the extra expense is a sum accountants will be working out.
I just find it so hard to believe that they are so totally incompetent. But everyone here says they are, so I'll go with that instead of thinking they actual have just a bit of business sense.
closing lines for sure but not unreasonable to discuss with NR reducing costs although that ultimately need political will to override CP7 settlement
That sort of thinking is dangerous and will get you nowhere! The public will revolt and complain to their MSP’s who will demand an explanation. The use of crayons is optional.
Was on a service from Waverley platform 20 yesterday. No revenue protection on the platform, but no big deal...
There is an argument that Scotrail tried to do exactly that, and the staff’s union organised a strike in response until Scotrail acquiesced
My guess is because they went heavily down the smartcard route, all stations are equipped with readers and they have some smartcard-only fares (or at least I'm 99% sure they do).
I remember tweeting them about this and they told me they wanted to keep the m-tickets on the app due to fraud concerns with traditional e-tickets.
Scotrail went down the M-ticket route rather than E-tickets on the premise of fraud prevention.
Used to annoy me when I had access to NR priv and only way of buying was via the RST website, and Scotrail forced to collect from a TVM whereas most other operators it was an e-ticket. No doubt because of that m-ticket thing
The 0549 INV to ABD was a 2 car this morning due to failure of HST, so probably been running about as a 2 car all day on the set diagram. Not good at all!
The 15:30 Aberdeen to Glasgow was a Turbostar yesterday. Fine enough in normal times but not when you've only got five trains travelling between the two cities in one day.There were countless rakes of HSTs sitting idle at the yards in Aberdeen, Dundee, Cadder and Eastfield however...
The probably would love to use the 'idle' HSTs but they probably don't have drivers diagrammed to shunt them and with drivers doing booked work only theres no way of moving them.
The probably would love to use the 'idle' HSTs but they probably don't have drivers diagrammed to shunt them and with drivers doing booked work only theres no way of moving them.
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You're a man in the know, was there nothing suitable to swap that 158 at Aberdeen? A 2 car to Glasgow is a shocker.
Given they managed to swap an HST from an Aberdeen to Inverness to work 1B30 1248 to Edinburgh so it could go HST as booked and the 1733 Edinburgh to Inverness instead of both bring a 158 (which went on the Inverness to Aberdeen instead), they do if they can in my experience.
Just eeen the email. Drivers Friday and others Monday.
