SCOTLAND cannot meet its environmental obligations without a world-class rail service that gets travellers out of cars and lorries and onto trains, a report by rail unions said today.

A Vision for Scotland’s Railways, jointly published by Unite, Aslef, TSSA and the RMT and launched at Holyrood rally, outlines a transformative agenda for the future of passenger and freight services. 

The ScotRail franchise will be taken back into public control next March due to repeated service failures, cancellations, late-running trains and poor management.

The report calls for an end to profiteering, ticket office closures, job losses and cuts to budgets. It rejects calls by some rail industry figures to use the pandemic as cover for service reductions.

In a joint statement, the unions said: “The end of the disastrous Abellio franchise gives us the opportunity to start afresh with a railway that meets the needs of all our people whilst valuing the key workers who deliver services. 

“This report is our vision of a railway run in the interest of people and communities, not profit. 

“We have a great opportunity; we should grab it with both hands.”

Union leaders described the document as the foundation of a green recovery for transport. 

STUC general secretary Roz Foyer said: “Scotland’s railways need investment, not cuts.

“The Scottish government needs to show that it is hand in hand with the people when it comes to taking action on climate change, not big business, who care more about profit than providing decent, well-run services.”

A Transport Scotland spokesman welcomed the report, promising that it would be considered carefully.

He added that the government was pressing ahead with plans to have ScotRail services provided by a company in full public ownership.