SCOTTISH rail passengers are suffering “rip-off fare increases and bargain basement services” under the “insane” franchising model, transport union leader Manuel Cortes blasted today.

The TSSA general secretary called on the SNP to “do the right thing for Scottish passengers and taxpayers“ and bring rail franchises back into public ownership.
 
Recent figures show ScotRail’s punctuality dropped by more than 8 per cent in the year to July 2018, but Scottish commuters face paying hundreds of pounds more for their season tickets with an impending 3.2 per cent rise.
 
Mr Cortes said: “ScotRail should be owned by the Scottish people and run in the interests of passengers not greedy shareholders.

“The insanity of franchising is summed up by the fact that the Dutch national railway runs ScotRail.