1 April 2004

Accountability and delivery required

Commenting on today's report from the Transport Select Committee's on the Future of the Railways, SPT Chair Councillor Alistair Watson said:

"At SPT we are in the business of delivering first-class rail services in the west of Scotland, working within the confines of the industry as it exists.

"I would welcome the comments from the Transport Select Committee that the industry is in need of a massive overhaul and that decision-making needs to be more streamlined and fit for purpose.

"Accountability for decision-making is essential for transparency and increased confidence in our railways. The committee may suggest that the public does not care who provides their service, but I imagine that they do care that there is no link between those in control of the funding and those who make strategic decisions. The system as it stands is overly-complicated and this must be looked at.

"We are committed to delivering several large infrastructure projects – Larkhall-Milngavie, the Glasgow airport rail link and Crossrail. Performance and punctuality in our area is good – we are currently running at 90.4% punctuality – the figure Network Rail is aiming for in five years time. SPT and ScotRail need Network Rail to raise their game before we can raise ours to our target of 94%. All our rail industry partners need to be as committed as we are.

"This report asks some fundamental questions about the best way to run our railways and makes an important contribution to the debate and to the government's rail review. There is a huge opportunity to move the railways forward, and it should not be lost."

ends