Scotland's railway goes to public ownership from April 1 – how will this affect travellers?

Next Friday (April 1), the operation of the ScotRail franchise will transfer from Abellio ScotRail (ASR) to ScotRail Trains (SRT), a publicly owned company.

In a public post on its website the rail operator reassured the public that "there are no immediate changes and there is nothing you need to do".

A company spokesperson said: "We will continue to run train services across the ScotRail network using the same employees, and we will continue to process your personal data for the same purposes."

The transfer of the ScotRail franchise into the public sector will take place on Friday, April 1. All customers should be assured that train services will continue to run, tickets and season tickets remain valid, and all purchases can be made in the usual way. Timetables, including any scheduled amendments, will also remain the same as planned.

ScotRail Trains Limited is owned by the Scottish Government and overseen by Scottish Rail Holdings Ltd (SRH Ltd). This publicly-owned company will operate rail services in Scotland and will continue to be known as "ScotRail".

SRH Ltd is a non-departmental public body controlled by Scottish Ministers that has been set up with the express purpose of overseeing the governance of train operating companies under Section 30 of the Railways Act 1993 – including the new publicly owned ScotRail Trains Limited. It is being set up in line with the government’s policy.

For more information about SRH visit: www.railholdings.scot

Trains and stations will continue to be branded as ScotRail. The only change will be to remove the name of the current franchise operator "Abellio" where it occurs on signage, websites and printed materials.

Important points:

• All tickets bought are still valid for the dates shown on the ticket. This includes all season tickets and all pre-purchased tickets where either the outward or return portion of the ticket is after April 1.
• All valid rail tickets will continue to be accepted as they would have been before the transfer.
• Services operated by ScotRail Trains Limited will continue to accept railcards and season tickets etc purchased prior to April 1, 2022.
• Season Tickets will still be accepted as before, and customers will not need to update their details for automatic Delay Repay.
• The current arrangements for carrying bikes, luggage, dogs, and so on will stay the same. Please check the ScotRail website before you travel to confirm when you can travel with your bike.
• Timetables, including any scheduled amendments, will remain the same as planned.
• Customers should continue to buy rail tickets through their current ScotRail app which will transfer over to the new ScotRail.

• You do not need to rebook for assisted travel. All your travel arrangements will be carried forward and this transfer will not affect your journey.

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