ScotRail facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
ScotRail

Rèile na h-Alba
Two ScotRail Class 43 (HST) Inter7City trains at Pitlochry
Overview
Franchise(s)	ScotRail
Main region(s)	Scotland
Parent company	Scottish Rail Holdings
Reporting mark	SR
Dates of operation	1 April 2022–present
Predecessor	Abellio ScotRail
Route map

ScotRail Trains Limited, known as ScotRail, is a train company in Scotland. It is owned by the Scottish Government through a company called Scottish Rail Holdings. ScotRail started running trains on 1 April 2022. It is an "operator of last resort," which means the government stepped in to run the trains when the previous company's contract ended.

History of ScotRail

Before 2022, a private company called Abellio ScotRail ran the ScotRail trains since 2015. In 2019, the Scottish transport agency, Transport Scotland, announced that Abellio had not met the required performance goals. This meant their seven-year contract would not be extended. So, their time running ScotRail ended on 31 March 2022.

In March 2021, Transport Scotland decided that a new private company would not take over. Instead, the Scottish Government would run the trains itself. This decision was supported by several railway unions.

In February 2022, the Scottish Minister for Transport, Jenny Gilruth, confirmed that ScotRail would be publicly owned. She wanted to start a "National Conversation" about how the new ScotRail should work. The goal was to create an affordable, sustainable, and customer-focused train service.

Some politicians had different ideas. The Scottish Conservatives thought the discussion should focus on lower fares and restoring services. The Scottish Liberal Democrats felt the talks about public ownership should have started much earlier.

After the government took over, on-board food and drink services started again on 4 April 2022. These services had been stopped during the COVID-19 pandemic.

In May 2022, some train drivers' unions voted for strike action. Drivers refused to work extra hours. This led to many Sunday services being cancelled because there were not enough drivers. ScotRail explained that the pandemic had made it hard to train new drivers. A temporary timetable was put in place on 23 May 2022. This cut the number of daily trains by about one-third. Many early morning and late night trains were cancelled. Later, the unions agreed to a new pay offer, and services began to return to normal.

ScotRail Train Routes

ScotRail runs all the train services that the previous company, Abellio, used to operate. As of December 2023, here are some of the main routes ScotRail trains run during off-peak hours from Monday to Friday:

Trains in Central Scotland

• Argyle Line: Trains run from Dalmuir to Larkhall and Motherwell. They also go from Dalmuir to Cumbernauld and Whifflet.
• North Clyde Line: Trains connect Helensburgh Central to Edinburgh Waverley. Other services run from Balloch to Airdrie and Milngavie to Springburn.
• Cumbernauld, Falkirk, and Maryhill Lines: Trains go from Glasgow Queen Street to Cumbernauld, Falkirk Grahamston, and Edinburgh Waverley. There are also trains from Glasgow Queen Street to Anniesland.
• Cathcart Circle Lines: These trains run from Glasgow Central to Newton and Neilston. Some trains also complete a loop back to Glasgow Central.
• Paisley Canal Line: Trains run from Glasgow Central to Paisley Canal.
• Shotts Line: Trains connect Glasgow Central to Edinburgh Waverley via Shotts.
• Inverclyde Line: Trains run from Glasgow Central to Gourock and Wemyss Bay.
• Ayrshire Coast Line: Services connect Glasgow Central to Ayr, Ardrossan Harbour, and Largs.
• Glasgow South Western Line: Trains run from Glasgow Central to East Kilbride, Barrhead, and Kilmarnock. Some services continue to Ayr, Girvan, Carlisle, and Stranraer.
• Carstairs and North Berwick Lines: Trains go from Glasgow Central to Edinburgh Waverley via Carstairs. Other services connect Edinburgh Waverley to Dunbar and North Berwick.
• Borders Railway: Trains run from Edinburgh Waverley to Tweedbank.

Trains Across Scotland

• West Highland Line: This scenic route connects Glasgow Queen Street to Oban and Mallaig. Some trains split at Crianlarich to go to both destinations.
• Croy & Dunblane Lines: Trains run from Glasgow Queen Street to Alloa. Other services connect Edinburgh Waverley to Dunblane.
• Fife Circle Line: Trains from Edinburgh Waverley go to Dundee, Perth, Cowdenbeath, and Glenrothes with Thornton, forming a loop.
• Glasgow/Edinburgh - Aberdeen Lines: Trains connect Edinburgh Waverley and Glasgow Queen Street to Aberdeen. Some services also run between Glasgow Queen Street and Dundee, or Dundee and Arbroath.
• Highland Main Line: Trains run from Glasgow Queen Street and Edinburgh Waverley to Inverness.
• Aberdeen–Inverness Line: Services connect Montrose to Inverurie, Aberdeen to Inverurie, and Aberdeen to Inverness. Some shorter routes run between Elgin and Inverness.
• Far North & Kyle of Lochalsh Lines: These lines connect Inverness to various northern towns like Dingwall, Invergordon, Tain, Ardgay, and Wick. There are also trains from Inverness to Kyle of Lochalsh.

ScotRail Train Types

ScotRail uses different types of trains, including electric and diesel models.

In 2021, ScotRail added five special "Highland Explorer" carriages. These are attached to other trains and have a lot of space for bicycles, along with seats. They also offer free refreshments and cycling-themed decorations.

Family	Class	Image	Type	Top speed		Number	Carriages	Routes operated	Built	Notes
				mph	km/h
Inter7City
High Speed Train	43		Diesel locomotive	125	200	52	4/5	Aberdeen-Inverness Line Glasgow/Edinburgh to Aberdeen Glasgow/Edinburgh to Inverness	1975–1982	These trains are called Inter7City. There are 9 trains with four coaches and 17 trains with five coaches.
	Mark 3		Passenger carriage			120
Diesel multiple units
Sprinter	153 Super Sprinter		DMU	75	120	5	1	West Highland Line (Attached to 156s)	1987–1988
	156 Super Sprinter				42	2	Glasgow South Western Line Maryhill Line Shotts Line West Highland Line	1987–1989
	158 Express Sprinter			90	145		40	Aberdeen-Inverness Line Borders Railway Far North Line Fife Circle Line Glasgow/Edinburgh to Inverness Kyle of Lochalsh line Maryhill Line	1989–1992
Bombardier Turbostar	170			100	161	30	3	Aberdeen-Inverness Line Borders Railway Edinburgh to Aberdeen Line Fife Circle Line Glasgow/Edinburgh to Inverness Maryhill Line	1999–2001 2003-05
Electric multiple units
BR Second Generation (Mark 3)	318		EMU	90	145	21	3	North Clyde Line Whifflet Line Cumbernauld Line Inverclyde Line Paisley Canal Line Argyle Line Cathcart Circle Lines Glasgow to Lanark via Motherwell	1985–1986
	320/3					22			1990
	320/4			100	161	12			1989–1990	These were changed from Class 321/4 trains.
Alstom Coradia Juniper	334			90	145	40		North Clyde Line Argyle Line	1999–2002
Siemens Desiro	380			100	161	22	3	Ayrshire Coast Line Paisley Canal Line Inverclyde Line Cathcart Circle Lines North Berwick Line Glasgow to Edinburgh via Shotts	2009–2011
						16	4
Hitachi AT200	385					46	3	Glasgow to Edinburgh via Falkirk Line Glasgow/Edinburgh to North Berwick/Dunbar Glasgow/Edinburgh to Dunblane and Alloa Glasgow-Cathcart Circle/Neilston/Newton Cumbernauld Line Glasgow to Edinburgh via Motherwell and Carstairs Glasgow to Lanark via Motherwell Glasgow to Edinburgh via Shotts Inverclyde Line Argyle Line	2015–2019	These trains are called eXpress.
						24	4

Electrifying the Railways

Transport Scotland has a plan to make all domestic passenger train services in Scotland carbon-free by 2035. This means replacing all diesel trains with electric ones.

The first part of this plan costs £55 million. It involves adding electric power lines to 104 km of the Fife Circle track. This section is between Haymarket and Dalmeny. The work started in June 2022 and should finish by December 2024. These lines will be used by special battery electric trains. More parts of the Fife Circle, including lines near Kinghorn, Thornton, Ladybank, and Lochgelly, will also be electrified later.

Train Stations

As of March 2022, ScotRail manages 355 train stations in Scotland. However, some major stations are not managed by ScotRail. For example, Prestwick International Airport station is run by the airport. Also, Edinburgh Waverley and Glasgow Central are managed by Network Rail.

ScotRail also operates Lockerbie and Reston stations. Even though ScotRail trains do not currently stop at these two stations, ScotRail is responsible for them.

Train Maintenance Depots

ScotRail's trains are kept in good condition at several maintenance depots. These include locations like Edinburgh Haymarket, Glasgow Eastfield, Glasgow Shields Road, and Corkerhill Glasgow. Other depots are in Yoker, Ayr Townhead, Bathgate, and Inverness. There is also a new depot for electric trains at Millerhill and a rebuilt depot at Cadder Yard.