The Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 (FOISA) provides individuals with a right to request any recorded information held by Scotland's public authorities. Anyone can use this right, and information can only be withheld where FOISA expressly permits it.
Section 23 of FOISA also requires that all Scottish public authorities maintain a publication scheme. A publication scheme sets out the types of information that a public authority routinely makes available.
We've adopted the Model Publication Scheme developed and approved by the Scottish Information Commissioner without amendment and have produced this guide to the information that we publish within the classes in the scheme.
Availability and formats
The information we publish through the model scheme is, wherever possible, available on this website.
We offer alternative arrangements for people who do not want to, or cannot, access the information online or by inspection at our premises.
For example, we can usually arrange to post information in paper copy (although there may be a charge for this).
Information that we may withhold
Our aim is to be as open as possible. However, there may be circumstances where information will be withheld from publication.
Information will only be withheld, where FOISA (or, in the case of environmental information, the Environmental Information (Scotland) Regulations 2004) expressly permits it.
Information may be withheld, for example, where its disclosure would breach the law of confidentiality, harm commercial interests, or endanger the protection of the environment. Information may also be withheld if it is another person's personal information, and its release would breach data protection legislation.
Where we withhold information we will remove it or redact it before publication and explain why.
If you wish to complain about any information which has been withheld from you, please contact us.
Our charging policy
Unless otherwise stated, all information contained within our scheme is available from us free of charge where it can be downloaded from our website or where it can be sent to you by email.
We reserve the right to impose charges for providing information in paper copy or on CD or other media. Charges will reflect the actual costs to ScotRail for reproduction and postage.
We'll let you know the charge and how it has been calculated. Where a charge applies, information will not be provided to you until payment has been received.
We are required by the Equality Act 2010 to take steps to meet the needs of people who share a relevant protected characteristic. In terms of access to information, this means making reasonable adjustments to our practices to ensure that information is physically accessible. This may, for example, involve producing information in a larger script or different format where it is practicable to do so. The costs of this will be met by us.
Our copyright policy
Where ScotRail Trains Limited holds the copyright in its published information, the information may be copied or reproduced without formal permission, provided that:
- it is copied or reproduced accurately.
- it is not used in a misleading context, and
- the source of the material is identified.
Where ScotRail Trains Limited does not hold the copyright in information we publish, we will make this clear.
How to access information which we do not publish
If you would like to request information which we do not publish then please contact us by:
- Email: [email protected]
- Or by post:
FOI
ScotRail Trains
Atrium Court
50 Waterloo Street
Glasgow
G2 6HQ
When writing to us to request information, please include:
- your full name and an email or postal address
- full details of the information or documents you would like to receive.
Charges for information available only through request
Freedom of information requests
ScotRail does not charge anyone for making requests for, nor for providing, information under FOISA, but we will refuse to deal with a request where we estimate that it will cost more than £600 to locate, retrieve and provide the information.
Environmental information requests
ScotRail does not charge anyone for making requests for, nor for providing, environmental information under the EIRs, up to a limit of £600. Thereafter we may charge the full cost of providing the information.
In the event that we decide to charge for the full cost of a request under the EIRs costing over £600, we will issue you with notification of the charge and how it has been calculated. If you decide not to proceed with the request there will be no charge to you.
Charges are calculated on the basis of the actual cost to ScotRail of locating, retrieving and providing the environmental information.
Staff time is calculated at actual cost of employing the staff member in question. The lowest grade member(s) of staff available to carry out the task (being of an appropriate grade to be dealing with the information in question and having the requisite skills and knowledge) will be used.
The classes of information that we publish
We publish information that we hold within the classes set out in the publication scheme.
Class 1: About ScotRail Trains Limited
This class includes information about ScotRail Trains Limited - who we are, where to find us, how to contact us, how we are managed, and our external relations.
- Contact information available on our website, including how to contact us with queries, feedback or to make a complaint .
- Our standard business opening hours
- Our customer codes and charters:
- Publication scheme and Guide to Information
- Charging schedule for published information
- Contact details and advice about how to request information from ScotRail
- Charging schedule for environmental information provided in response to requests under the EIRs (if ScotRail charges for environmental information)
- Articles of association available from Companies house
- Corporate strategies:
- Information about our holding company, Scottish Rail Holdings Limited
- Grant Agreement
- The Grant Agreement sets out the basis on which ScotRail Trains (SRT) will be contracted to operate ScotRail passenger rail services, and sets out the roles and responsibilities of the parties in delivering passenger rail services. This can be found published here .
- Framework Agreement
- You can view the Framework Agreement here – The ScotRail Franchise and its Effect (transport.gov.scot) – that’s the agreement between Scottish Ministers and Scottish Rail Holdings (SRH) – which sets out the broad framework within which SRH and its subsidiaries will operate.
Class 2: How we deliver functions and services
This class includes information about our work, our strategy and policies for delivering functions and services, and information for our service users.
- Reports on how we are performing:
- List of services we provide:
- Service policies:
- Service schedules and delivery plans:
- Information for service users, including how to access the services:
- Service fees and charges .
- Unit Diagrams:
- Station Announcements:
- Station Announcements (audio)
- On Train Announcements (Note: Very large file: 307MB. This download is a zip file containing 3,373 audio files.)
Class 3: How we take decisions
Information about the decisions we take, how we make decisions and how we involve others.
- Public consultation and engagement strategies
- Board Minutes: The ScotRail Trains Board meets monthly, and you’ll find copies of the meeting minutes here .
Class 4: What we spend
Information about our strategy for, and management of, financial resources in sufficient detail to explain how we plan to spend public money and what has actually been spent.
- Board member remuneration other than expenses
- Pay and grading structure (levels of pay rather than individual salaries)
Class 5: How we manage our human, physical and information resources
Information about how we manage the human, physical and information resources of ScotRail.
- Management of ScotRail’s land and property assets, including environmental / sustainability reports
- Description of ScotRail’s station estate and their facilities
- Privacy policy
- Our Document Retention Schedule
- Freedom of Information Policy
- Data Protection Policy
- CCTV Analytics Principles
Our HR Policies:
Class 6: How we procure goods and services from external providers
Information about how we procure goods and services, and our contracts with external providers
- Procurement policies and procedures
- Invitations to tender
- Procurement information ScotRail publishes on the Public Contracts Scotland website
- Standard Purchase Order T&Cs
Class 7: How we are performing
Information about how we perform as an organisation, and how well it delivers its functions and services.
- Performance indicators and performance against them .
- Our Commitment to Equality and Diversity .
Class 8: Our commercial publications
Information packaged and made available for sale on a commercial basis and sold at market value through a retail outlet (e.g. bookshop, museum or research journal).
Note for information: ScotRail Trains Limited currently has no commercial publications. Charges may arise for information as explained in the charging policy in the introduction to this guide.
Class 9: Our Open Data
Open data made available by ScotRail as described by the Scottish Government’s Open Data Strategy and Resource Pack , available under an open license.
Note for information: ScotRail Trains Limited currently does not make available any open data sources.
Scottish Information Commissioner
You have legal rights to access information under this scheme and a right of appeal to the Scottish Information Commissioner if you are dissatisfied with our response. These rights apply only to information requests made in writing (verbal requests for environmental information carry similar rights) or another recordable format. If you are unhappy with our responses to your request you can ask us to review it internally and if you are still unhappy, you can make an appeal to the Scottish Information Commissioner.
By post:
Scottish Information Commissioner
Kinburn Castle
Doubledykes Road
St Andrews
Fife
KY16 9DS
Telephone: 01334 464610
Email: [email protected]
Scottish Information Commissioner website
Data Protection
You can request a copy of any personal data we hold about you by making a subject access request (SAR) under the General Data Protection Regulation.
For further details please refer to our Data Protection page.
Last updated
This page was last updated on 2 May 2023.