New figures released today (Friday 2 August) show that the service being delivered to customers on trains and at stations across Scotland’s Railway is continuing to improve – for the sixth consecutive period.
The Service Quality Incentive Regime (SQUIRE) report released by Transport Scotland has shown that ScotRail services improved significantly between April and June compared with the same period the previous year.
Continued investment in front-line staff has led to a 43 per cent improvement and an overall reduction in contributions to the SQUIRE fund; from £1,092,456 during April to June 2018 to £620,380, (excluding RPI) in the same period in 2019.
SQUIRE is used by Transport Scotland to assess facilities on ScotRail trains and at stations. If something is found during routine SQUIRE inspections that does not meet the expected high standard, ScotRail contributes to the SQUIRE investment fund.
All money raised through the SQUIRE fund is reinvested into projects across Scotland’s Railway.
The regime is the toughest of its kind in the UK and is a fundamental part of both Transport Scotland and ScotRail’s efforts to improve customer experience.
Recent National Rail Passenger Survey results have shown the overall customer satisfaction has improved by six per cent and this is linked to improvements in service quality, where customer experience improvements have been delivered following the commitment to improve staffing and recruitment.
Examples already delivered include the refurbishment of Leuchars station, a new toilet at Tweedbank, upgraded Help Points throughout the network, upgrading waiting areas on the Edinburgh to Glasgow mainline as well as funding the staff body worn cameras.
Other improvements include LED lighting at various stations, refurbished ticket vending machines, recycling facilities at stations, enhancements to lost property services and upgrades to customer information screens and public announcement equipment.
ScotRail Head of Customer Operations Phil Campbell said:
“Everyone at ScotRail is working flat out to improve the quality of our service, and these figures show the considerable impact the efforts of our people have already had.
“The investment in brand new and upgraded trains, better stations and improved infrastructure is delivering the service our customers expect and deserve.”