Happening Now
Public-private partnership commits to improving Scottish trains
November 20, 2013
Written By Malcolm Kenton
The government of Scotland yesterday opened up bids on a ten-year contract, starting in 2015, to provide improved passenger service on Scotland's many scenic rail lines. The agency committed to making these services "emblematic of the best of Scotland."
Not only does this offer an enviable model for a passenger-friendly requirements to be included in a passenger train operating contract, it also has the potential to be an exemplary public-private partnership, with direction and funding from the government, but the actual operation and passenger experience in the hands of the private operator.
The Scotsman newspaper has the details:
[The modernized ScotRail trains] could include “premium carriages” with more comfortable seats, bigger windows and passengers served the best local produce.
Transport Scotland said: “The trains would make the most of Scotland’s internationally-renowned tourists routes,
“It’s about providing a showcase for Scottish catering and reflecting local Scottish produce.
“We hope the trains will become justifiably famous.”
You can read the whole thing over at The Scotsman.
A ScotRail class 170 sprints along level ground between Forteviot and Forgandenny in Perthshire
Interior of a ScotRail FSC 158733 diesel multiple unit train car.
Photos: Top: Flickr.com user B4bees. Bottom: Flickr.com user Danny Leach.
"It is an honor to be recognized by the Rail Passengers Association for my efforts to strengthen and expand America’s passenger rail. Golden spikes were once used by railroads to mark the completion of important rail projects, so I am truly grateful to receive the Golden Spike Award as a way to mark the end of a career that I’ve spent fighting to invest in our country’s rail system. As Chair of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, it has been my priority to bolster funding for Amtrak, increase and expand routes, look to the future by supporting high-speed projects, and improve safety, culminating in $66 billion in new funding in the Bipartisan infrastructure Law."
Representative Peter DeFazio (OR-04)
March 30, 2022, on receiving the Association's Golden Spike Award for his years of dedication and commitment to passenger rail.
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