Parliamentary Questions

Question S6W-35900: Jamie Halcro Johnston, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party, answered on 1 April 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to address reported concerns that the cost of rail travel in the Highlands is disproportionately higher than that in urban areas, and what consideration it has given to supporting rail routes serving rural and remote communities to provide a viable alternative to car travel.

Fiona Hyslop: Eligible residents of the Highlands benefit from the Highland Railcard, which provides 50% off rail fares at any time of the day and is now available with ScotRail's 'Kids for a Quid' offer.

Following the conclusion of Peak Fares Removal Pilot, ScotRail has introduced a 20% discount on all season tickets until 27 September 2025 and permanently improved the value for money of Flexipass tickets, which offer significant savings to passengers.

ScotRail will continue to develop fare initiatives to attract more passengers while providing savings and additional value to existing rail users.

Question S6O-04816: John Mason, MSP for Glasgow Shettleston, Independent, taken in the Chamber on 19 June 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with the United Kingdom Government regarding the proposed establishment of Great British Railways and any potential implications for devolved responsibilities over rail services and infrastructure in Scotland.

Fiona Hyslop: I, and the Government, are clear that full devolution of rail is in Scotland's best interests, not least to deliver the services that our communities and economy need and deserve. I am proud that ScotRail in public ownership has been a success and that ScotRail's train performance and passenger satisfaction are consistently higher than the Great Britain average.

I welcome the intent of the UK Government's rail reform bill - I have discussed it twice with the Secretary of State for Transport - and the commitment to protect current devolution of powers and learn from the example of Scotland's integrated approach to track and train. I want to continue to work constructively with the secretary of state to protect and enhance Scotland's interests, but I am concerned at the lack of clarity and detail in the proposals to date.

John Mason: I thank the cabinet secretary for that reply, but her final point about the lack of clarity concerns me, too, given that the idea has been around for a long time. Can she assure us that the Scottish Government will resist any attempts to take decisions on, for example, ticket prices or rail investment back to London?

Fiona Hyslop: I have repeatedly sought assurance from the Secretary of State for Transport that any decisions made by the UK Government will not dilute Scottish ministers' existing powers. Scottish ministers will do all within our power to protect the interests of Scottish railways in order to allow us to continue to build on the success of bringing ScotRail and Caledonian Sleeper into public ownership for the benefit of the people of Scotland. However, unless and until we see text in the bill that secures accountability for integrated rail services to this Parliament and this Government, that risk still exists.

Question S6W-38425: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party, answered on 18 June 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how many senior officials have been involved in the Intercity rail fleet replacement project since 2023.

Fiona Hyslop: Investment of such scale is approved by the Investment Decision Making Board comprised of Directors and Chief Executive of Transport Scotland. The aforementioned senior officials have been involved in the project at various stages, as required.

Question S6W-38427: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party, answered on 18 June 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what environmental conditions or targets there are for the procurement of the new Intercity rail fleet.

Fiona Hyslop: Rail contributes just 1.2% to Scotland's total annual greenhouse gas emissions from transport, offering a sustainable and environmentally friendly way of moving both people and heavy goods.

Whilst there are no specific conditions or targets related to the future fleet which is sought to replace High Speed Trains, any replacement fleet is expected to be more energy efficient and therefore to reduce emissions.

Question S6W-38721: Willie Rennie, MSP for North East Fife, Scottish Liberal Democrats, answered on 7 July 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-32419 by Fiona Hyslop on 17 December 2024, when it plans to publish an updated Rail Services Decarbonisation Action Plan.

Fiona Hyslop: An update to the Rail Services Decarbonisation Action Plan is currently underway and is planned to be published later this year.

Question S6W-39279: Claire Baker, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour, answered on 29 July 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an updated timetable for the application and allocation process for freight facilities grants, including when the projects will receive their funding.

Fiona Hyslop: Freight Facilities Grant for 2025-2026 opened to applications on 7 April and closed on 1 May. Any company which wants to move freight by rail or water rather than by road and which is proposing to invest in new freight handling facilities in Scotland or re-invest in existing facilities in Scotland was able to apply for an FFG. Applications were considered against published criteria on what is and is not eligible under the scheme.

Applicants will be informed of the outcome of their bids shortly. Payment of grant to any successful applicants will be made no later than 31 March 2026.

Question S6W-39561: Ash Regan, MSP for Edinburgh Eastern, Alba Party, answered on 13 August 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what policies and strategies it has in place to facilitate a freight modal shift to rail.

Fiona Hyslop: The Scottish Government has shown leadership in setting out positive policies that work for the rail freight industry through our rail freight strategy (published in 2016), our first of a kind regulatory growth targets for rail freight as part of our High Level Output Specification for Control Period 7 funding, and our mode shift grants. Scotland was the first UK nation to have a rail freight growth target and this focus is being retained with a target of 8.7% for the period 2024 to 2029 and a requirement for a longer term growth plan to be delivered by 2027. These policies have encouraged positive behaviours and collaborative working with the industry to grow rail freight and have been supported with investment of over £40 million in recent years in rail freight specific projects and over £421 million in wider projects with rail freight benefits. We will continue to maximise benefits for freight in our future investment in the rail network.