Call For Franchising Delay

MPs, MSPs and trade unions have signed a statement calling for the franchising of Scotrail to be postponed.

The winning bidder for the main franchise and Caledonian Sleeper service is for ten years

Unions and politicians have demanded suspension of Scotrail franchising process to allow rail services to be run in public sector in line with new Scottish devolution settlement.
 
The following statement has been signed by the listed MP's, MSP's and Trade Unions in respect of both the Scotrail main franchise and the Caledonian Sleeper Service in light of the new devolution settlement:

"We welcome that as part of the new devolution settlement for the Scottish people there are commitments to devolved responsibility on rail so the Scottish Government can decide whether it wishes to run Scotrail services in the public sector. In the words of Gordon Brown contained in his post referendum speech “enforced rail privatisation will be no more”.
 
"We are concerned however that under the current tendering process the winning bidder for the Scotrail franchise is to be notified in October 2014 and the franchise, to start in April 2015, will be ten years in length. This will mean Scotland’s rail passenger services will be privatised for the next decade and will make the promises on rail powers meaningless.
 
"We further note that legally the Scottish Government can vary, suspend or terminate the Scotrail tendering process at any time up to the notification of the successful bidder. We therefore urge the Scottish Government to withhold notifying a successful bidder and instead allow the franchise to continue until later in 2015 when the new Scottish Act will be implemented and the Scottish Government will have the power to power to run Scotrail services in the public sector. 
 
"We also urge the Scottish Government to use these new developments to review the decision to notify the winning bidder for the Caledonian Sleeper franchise, which is also due to start in April 2015."

The statement has been signed by the following people:
 
Mick Cash RMT General Secretary 
Manuel Cortes, TSSA General Secretary
Mick Whelan, ASLEF General Secretary 
James Kelly MSP (Labour Shadow Cabinet Secretary for Capital Investment and Infrastructure)
Mark Griffin MSP (Labour Shadow Minister for Transport and Veterans)
Katy Clark MP
Richard Baker MSP
Jayne Baxter MSP
Claudia Beamish MSP
Michael Connarty MP
Ian Davidson MP
Brian Donohoe MP
Neil Findlay MSP
Sheila Gilmore MP
Hugh Henry MSP
James Kelly MSP
Jim McGovern MP
Ian McKenzie MP
Michael McCann MSP
Graeme Morrice MP 
Sandra Osborne MP
Elaine Smith MSP