SCOTRAIL and Scots ministers have been accused of hiding how much taxpayers' money is being spent in keeping Scotland's trains running after nationalisation.
Both transport minister Jenny Gilruth and ScotRail has refused to discuss how much taxpayers' money has been given to rejected ScotRail operator Abellio after nationalisation, or what the salaries of the key players with the train operator are.
Nationalised ScotRail has confirmed the Dutch state transport firm Abellio which formerly ran the franchise is cashing in on continued contracts to support crippled train services.
Ms Gilruth has defended the contracts which has after Scottish Government announced last year that ScotRail would come under direct state control from April 1, after stripping Abellio of control three years early in the wake of continuing outcry over service failings and rising costs to the taxpayer.
The Scottish Government runs the services through an arms-length company after declaring the franchising system "no longer fit for purpose".
But in the past two months Scotland's Railway has descended into chaos with thousands of service cancellations on top of emergency cuts to weekday timetables by a third.
Ms Gilruth confirmed that Abellio still has undisclosed contracts to support services post-nationalisation through deals that will run for up to three years and estimated to be worth millions.
But she refused to discussed the value of the amount of public money being spend on the contracts.
And she and nationalised ScotRail have yet to disclose the salaries, paid from from public funds, of chief executive Chris Gibb and chief operating officer Joanne Maguire.
ScotRail has previously rejected approached for disclosure on their salaries Graham Simpson, the Scottish Conservatives' transport spokesman told Ms Gilruth: "It really seems to me that we need full transparency here. So I think the minister should be telling us what these contracts are worth and not hide behind commercial sensitivity. And whilst she is thinking about that, could she also commit to telling us what the new chief executive and chief operating officer are being paid out of the public purse because we don't know that either."
Ms Gilruth responded by saying the salary information would be published in the coming weeks.
"The member's right on his final point, you don't yet know that and you should know it," she said.
"It should be in the public domain.
"I've had assurance from ScotRail on that in relation to those salaries. In relation to the figures associated with these four Abellio contracts... they are commercially sensitive. I'm not able to disclose that information in the chamber today. However I have undertaken to ask my officials and Transport Scotland to continuously review the contracts that are currently in place to ensure best value to the taxpayer."
Scottish Labour West Scotland MSP Katy Clark asked Ms Gilruth to "reconsider some of the issues around about confidentiality" and give her some answers in detail in writing "considering it is fare-payers and taxpayers money that we are talking about".
The transport minister said as part of the transition to a publicly owned railway, "it was necessary" for Transport Scotland to undertake a review of all existing contracts.
She said: "It was identified that four existing Abellio contracts would be required to continue with ScotRail Trains Ltd from the first of April this year to ensure consistency of service for passengers and to facilitate a smooth transition."
A contract to run a customer service phone line and provide payroll services is expected to run until 2025.
And further deals for replacement bus and taxi services, as well as buses between Glasgow Central, Queen Street and Buchanan Street Bus Station are due to last till 2023.
The contracts also involve the management of station tenancies.
"It was prudent to carry over a limited number of contacts, whether it's delivered by Abellio or other suppliers to maintain ScotRail services from day one of public ownership, and to get that continuity of service for passengers and for staff alike," said Ms Gilruth.
"There are only four Abellio contracts from almost 200 suppliers that remain in place, and three of those have a one year break clause point which will allow for competitive alternatives to be looked at.
"So the approach taken has been a pragmatic one. But this is particularly pertinent, I think, when we consider the fourth contract crucially, which secures jobs at the ScotRail services centre in Glasgow."
She added: "I just want to make clear that none of these contracts are a permanent feature of public ownership. Indeed, to that end, I have asked my officials at Transport Scotland to continuously review whether or not they are delivering best value for money.
"There was a level of anxiety, of course for staff and passengers alike on the first of April. So...there needed to be a level of continuity going forward."
Abellio was stripped of the ScotRail franchise after a disastrous 2018 winter timetable and the introduction of high-speed trains. New class 385 electric trains ushered in months of cancellations and disruption to services with much of it put down to staff shortages partly due to training to deal with the new trains and timetable.
Nicola Sturgeon launched nationalised ScotRail at Glasgow Queen Street Station on April and said bringing ScotRail into public ownership was a "historic and momentous occasion".
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