SUBSIDIES for rail passengers in Scotland have grown faster than south of the Border over last three years, prompting calls for the Scottish Government to cut the cost of the rail network.
New figures show Government cash support for First ScotRail, which operates more than 95% of passenger services in Scotland, has leapt by 37% since 2009 to £305 million.
The hike has left taxpayers paying 11.4p for every kilometre travelled by a ScotRail passenger, up from 8.6p in 2009, and is in stark contrast to the 16 private train operating companies managed under franchise agreements by the Department for Transport, which have seen overall subsidy levels reversed during the same period.
Across the UK, £259m was given to train operators in 2008/9, in contrast with the last financial year, when they gave back £232m in profit to the state – an improvement of £491m. More-over, subsidies per passenger-kilometre have gone from 0.5p to a "reverse subsidy" of 0.4p.
Only Arriva Wales, whose franchise is managed by the Welsh Government, had a higher level of subsidy per passenger last year, at 12p per kilometre, according to the analysis carried out by the Office of Rail Regulation (ORR). However, the Welsh level is an increase from 11.3p – a far smaller rise than seen at ScotRail.
Both ScotRail and Transport Scotland, the Government agency that administers the franchise, defended the increase in funding, saying it reflects recent investment such as the recently completed £300m Airdrie-Bathgate rail link.
These investments are clawed back through ScotRail's funding via higher track access charges levied by the ORR.
A spokesman for First said it has seen passenger numbers, satisfaction levels and train punctuality improve dramatically, with 81 million passengers using its services last year – an increase of 30%.
However, the figures prompted renewed calls to bring down the level of taxpayer support.
Elaine Murray, Labour's transport spokeswoman for Scotland, said: "Labour has been arguing the case for the rail service being operated on a not-for-profit basis and these figures strengthen the argument that the current arrangements are not giving value for money."
A spokeswoman for Transport Scotland said there was an "unwavering commitment" by the Scottish Government to improving the rail network. "This level of financial support reflects our commitment to support rail passenger services."
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