Sensitivities over the Union Jack-style rebranding of Britain’s rail network have been laid bare by Network Rail apologising to the chief executive of Transport Scotland after she “hit the roof” at seeing it displayed at a major Glasgow station run by Scottish government-owned ScotRail, The Scotsman has learned.
The red, white and blue livery of new UK government body, Great British Railways (GBR), is only supposed to be used in Scotland at Edinburgh Waverley and the main part of Glasgow Central station, which are run by Network Rail, and on cross-Border trains such as LNER and Avanti West Coast’s.
Under an agreement between the UK and Scottish governments, the branding will not be used on ScotRail and Caledonian Sleeper trains, which are controlled by Scottish ministers, or at other ScotRail stations, which will keep their “Scotland’s Railway” Saltire branding.
The brandings are to be used together on Network Rail vans and equipment funded by the Scottish government, while Transport Scotland has to be consulted over GBR branding at Waverley and Central.
However, during a one-week promotional display of the GBR branding at Glasgow Central in December, it was mistakenly also applied to the low level station, which is run by ScotRail.
Transport Scotland chief executive Alison Irvine is said to have been angered by the error, which led to Network Rail chief executive Jeremy Westlake phoning her to say sorry.
He also issued a “grovelling apology” to the Scottish government agency, according to a senior industry source with knowledge of the issue. Network Rail has disputed that.
A second industry source said: “Alison Irvine got off a train at Glasgow Central low level and hit the roof when she saw the branding. She was rather cross not to have been informed that it was being installed. The apology she received had ‘a bit of humility’.
“Bill Reeve [Transport Scotland’s director of rail reform] then made his views very clear to Network Rail over how sensitive it was.”
In a redacted email obtained by The Scotsman from a Freedom of Information (FoI) request, Mr Reeve told Ms Irvine: “I had a vet [very?] good discussion with Jeremy Westlake today who said [REDACTED] (about which he said he had been unaware).”
The first source said: “The redacted note mentions a Bill Reeve conversation with Jeremy and I know that was akin to a grovelling apology. Jeremy also then apologised directly to Alison over the phone on it.
“The [UK Government] Department for Transport (DfT) wanted to showcase new GBR branding and sent contractors out with decals for all of the major stations.
“What they forgot was that the low level at Glasgow Central is operated by ScotRail, not Network Rail, and is therefore a Scottish government station, not a UK government station.
“Once noticed, Network Rail quickly removed the branding. It’s indicative of inter-government tension that spills over into poor behaviours between DfT and Transport Scotland all too often.”
A redacted email obtained under FoI, DfT rail reform co-director Elisabeth Cuthbertson had told Mr Reeve: “I understand there’s been a mix-up by Network Rail’s contractor which meant that GBR promotional material was installed in error on the gateline at Glasgow Central low level.
“This isn’t what we or NR had intended - as this was commissioned as an installation just upstairs at the NR managed station for a week.
“We've asked NR to get the contractor in ASAP to get this corrected.”
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