Sturgeon hails 'historic and momentous' day as ScotRail nationalised

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has hailed the nationalisation of ScotRail as a “historic and momentous occasion”.

ScotRail will now be run by a company owned by the Scottish Government after the previous operator, Abellio, had its franchise ended early amid criticism of the quality of the service.

Speaking at Glasgow Queen Street Station, the First Minister marked the transition date that means ScotRail services will be delivered by a Scottish Government-owned operator.

Sturgeon said: “This historic and momentous occasion marks the delivery of a key milestone in our ambitious Programme for Government to support a greener, fairer, more prosperous Scotland.

“Everyone involved has worked extremely hard to deliver the smooth transition of ScotRail into public control and ownership. This new beginning creates a real opportunity to deliver a railway which is for the nation, and fully focused on being run for the benefit of its users – customers, staff and stakeholders, as opposed to shareholders.

“Rail plays a key role in helping to meet our climate change targets and cut transport emissions. ScotRail passenger services are a central plank in our ambitious decarbonisation plans – backed by £5bn over this Parliament – to support thriving, resilient and diverse communities.

“Together with the delivery of our free bus travel for under-22s, we are making public transport a more attractive option, especially for Scotland’s younger generations.”

Alex Hynes, Scotland’s Railway Managing Director, added: “This is very important day for Scotland’s Railway, and it is a significant moment as we make the transition to public ownership.”

All ScotRail staff will transfer to the new Scottish Government-owned entity.