The
Scottish
Government’s
decision
to
end
Serco’s
Caledonian
Sleeper
franchise
on
25
June
has
been
praised
by
some,
but
criticised
by
others.

Scottish
transport
minister
Jenny
Gilruth
told
the
Scottish
Parliament
yesterday
afternoon
that
Serco�’s
contract,
which
began
in
2015,
was
being
terminated,
because
the
company
had
tried
to
renegotiate
the
deal
on
new
terms
which
the
government
said
‘did
not
represent
the
best
value
for
money’.

She
also
said
the
decision
not
to
continue
the
Serco
franchise
was
‘in
no
way
a
reflection
on
the
quality
of
the
product
that
has
been
developed,
nor
on
the
commitment
of
the
staff
who
deliver
this
service
every
day’,
and
promised
that
the
rights
of
the
Sleeper
employees
would
be
protected
when
they
moved
to
a
new
government-owned
‘arms-length’
company.

Serco
said
it
was
‘disappointed’.
The
managing
director
of
its
transport
business
John
Whitehurst
said
a
renewed
award
would
have
‘allowed
Scotland
to
benefit
from
the
expertise
of
our
Serco
Transport
senior
management
team
who
understand
this
complex
and
unique
hospitality-focussed
train
operation
like
no-one
else,
while
also
enabling
Scottish
ministers
to
be
in
complete
control
of
the
contract’.

He
continued:
‘Most
importantly,
this
would
have
allowed
the
Scottish
government
to
compare
the
price
of
such
an
award
with
that
of
their
arm’s
length
operator
of
last
resort
company.’

He
went
to
claim
that
Serco’s
management
had
brought
‘massive
improvements
to
every
aspect
of
the
service
for
our
employees,
our
passengers
and
for
Scotland,
despite
having
made
significant
losses
on
the
contract’.

Scottish
Conservatives
were
also
critical,
pointing
to
the
deft
recovery
Caledonian
Sleeper
had
made
since
the
pandemic.
Their
spokesman
Graham
Simpson
concluded:
‘There
can
be
no
conclusion
other
than
that
this
is
an
ideological
decision.
Jenny
Gilruth
said
nothing
about
how
this
world
class
service
can
be
improved
under
the
Scottish
Government.’

Rail
unions
are
in
favour
of
the
change.
The
RMT
said
it
would
provide
an
opportunity
to
‘ensure
this
sustainable,
low
carbon
route
between
Scotland
and
London
can
be
run
for
passengers’
interests,
not
private
profit’.

The
drivers’
union
ASLEF
also
supported
the
move
but
regretted
that
the
Sleeper
had
not
been
recombined
with
ScotRail,
which
has
already
been
nationalised
since
April
last
year.

The
Caledonian
Sleeper
was
also
the
last
privatised
rail
operating
contract
in
Britain
to
be
described
as
a
‘franchise’.
When
Grant
Shapps
was
transport
secretary
he
formally
abolished
all
the
English
franchises
in
September
2020,
replacing
them
with
alternative
contracts.