RAIL workers have called on the Scottish government to complete the job of renationalising railways north of the border by taking over the prestigious Caledonian Sleeper service.

ScotRail operations returned to public ownership and control today after years of poor performance by privateers.

The most recent private company was Abellio, a subsidiary of the Netherlands’ state-owned train operator.

But the Caledonian Sleeper remains under the control of privateer Serco, which has run the subsidised service for profit since April 2015.

There are two services a night from London Euston to Scotland, serving between them Aberdeen, Fort William, Inverness, Edinburgh and Glasgow.

Rail union RMT says the Scottish government has the power to return the service to public ownership in 12 weeks if it decided to do so.

But in March, the SNP-led administration renewed Serco’s franchise for another year.

RMT general secretary Mick Lynch said: “When the Scottish government announced last March that it was bringing ScotRail into public ownership, RMT immediately called for it to do the same for the Caledonian Sleeper and reintegrate it with ScotRail, which it should never have split it from in the first place.

“A year later, we find out that, instead of bringing the Caledonian Sleeper back into a publicly owned and integrated Scottish rail operator, the Scottish government has, inexplicably, handed private operator Serco another year’s contract, under which it can be paid fees funded from public money.

“Yet, shockingly, internal documents confirm that not only does the Scottish government have the necessary structures in place to bring the Caledonian Sleeper into public ownership, it would only take around 12 weeks to do so.

“RMT is demanding that the Scottish government cut ties with Serco and deploys the necessary arrangements to bring the Caledonian Sleeper into public ownership as a matter of urgency.

“This is the best way to provide value for money and stability for Scottish passengers and taxpayers and ensure that all revenue is reinvested in improving the network, rather than being paid out in fees to private operator Serco.”

The Caledonian Sleeper is one of only two sleeping-car train services in Britain, the other being the Night Riviera between London and Penzance.

A Transport Scotland spokesperson said: “We understand and appreciate the union’s desire to see the Caledonian Sleeper come under the same public sector ownership as ScotRail, the Transport Minister has been clear that this option is not being ruled out in the future.
 
“Under existing UK legislation we have to have sound reasons for doing so, particularly as the Sleeper Franchise is not due to expire until 2030. In addition, from 1 April the franchisee, Serco Caledonian Sleeper Ltd (Serco) has the option to submit proposals for rebasing the current franchise agreement.
 
“Serco has responded well to the lifting of Covid-related restrictions through 2021 and has mobilised to support the opening-up of Scotland’s tourism market. However it has not yet reached a stable financial position and that is why we have extended the current franchise support arrangements through a Temporary Measures Agreement.
 
“The TMA will run up until 31 March 2023 and will continue to protect rail services and support Sleeper staff through this period. This short-term measure will allow us to better understand the wider market and post-Covid recovery.  It will also help maintain value for money through the current franchise and allow us to focus on our immediate industry priorities which includes the long-term stability of all our rail services.”