Scot Gov declines to reveal cost of Intercity bids process

The Herald Scotland

2 days ago

Asked for comment, leading rail union ASLEF has said the government must be transparent in its dealings and ensure that any purchases benefit taxpayers.
Transport Scotland announced in December that the Intercity fleet, which consists of 25 high speed trains (HSTs) serving routes between Glasgow, Edinburgh, Aberdeen and Inverness; would be replaced.
However, six months later, details of the bidding process are scarce.
Scot Gov refused to provide details of the procurement process (Image: Jane Barlow/PA).According to Public Contracts Scotland, the deadline for bidding on the contract was 3 February, while selected candidates were invited to submit tenders on 3 March.
The procurement notice states that a contract is expected to be awarded by 28 November, running until 31 December 2035.
Responding to our FOI request, the Scottish Government declined to share any details of the firms involved, informing The Herald: 'Please note that due to the sensitivity of the commercial information related to the replacement of the High Speed Trains, some commercial details of this procurement would be considered confidential, as releasing them would or would likely substantially harm ScotRail's economic interests.'
When asked to provide details of the cost incurred since the procurement process began, the government wrote:
'It would not be possible to ascertain with confidence how much has been spent so far, as preparation for any exercise of such a scale involves a staff cost element (including Scottish Government, ScotRail Trains and Scottish Rail Holdings employees) and it would not be possible to attribute this element with accuracy.'
However, The Herald has been told that the search for bids, expected to last 12 months, is going according to schedule.
Train drivers' union ASLEF has weighed in (Image: Danny Lawson/PA).Train drivers' union ASLEF has called on the government to commit to more transparency going forward.
Scottish Organiser Kevin Lindsay told The Herald: 'Our members wish to see a fleet which meets with modern crashworthiness standards.
'Transparency should be at the heart of the Scottish Government's procurement process. Procurement processes to replace rolling stock should always benefit the taxpayer, not the rolling stock companies.'
Lindsay went on to say that any future procurements should be carried out using the government's existing borrowing powers, instead of relying on 'profiteering' rolling stock companies.
The union boss previously wrote to then-Transport Minister Kevin Stewart in April 2023, urging him to replace 'antiquated' HSTs with modern 222s units, which were described as 'safe and clean'.
However, these suggestions were dismissed 'out of hand' at the hand, according to the union.
Concerns over the 50-year-old fleet were raised in the wake of the deadly Carmont rail crash west of Stonehaven, which tragically claimed the lives of Christopher Stuchbury, Donald Dinnie and Brett McCullough in August 2020.
Three years later, a driver's cabin was crushed after a HST struck a fallen tree in December 2023 near Broughty Ferry. While the train's driver was able to shelter behind his seat, the safety of the aging fleet was again brought into question.
The deadly Carmont crash led to questions over the future of the HST fleet. Now, a new report released by ASLEF, entitled 'A Vision for Financing Scotland's Railways', states that the government could save the taxpayer millions of pounds if they use green bonds (funds earmarked for environmental projects) to pay for the new fleet.
The report's co-author Professor Andrew Cumbers, of Glasgow University, said the government could save as much as £362m.
He remarked: 'Our research suggests that funding the next generation of rolling stock directly through the Scottish Government's existing borrowing powers, using Green Bonds, could be as much as 70% cheaper than through private finance.
'For the next order of suburban passenger trains, we have calculated that savings of at least £144m and up to £362m (compared to a private finance deal) could be made.
'Rather than leaking out of the system to fund private profits, this revenue could be used to reduce ticket prices and invest further in the country's transport infrastructure, while creating local jobs and training opportunities.'
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Responding to The Herald's request for comment, ScotRail declined to say how many firms were involved in the procurement process.
ScotRail Strategy & Planning Director Scott Prentice noted: 'We know the high-speed trains have been popular with customers on routes connecting Scotland's eight cities, but replacing the oldest trains in our fleet is essential to encouraging more people to choose rail over car travel.
'Replacing these trains will improve service reliability and fleet availability, delivering better journeys for customers across the country. It also means more trains will be available for service each day for customers in Fife, the Borders, and between Aberdeen and Inverness.
'This is a key step in our wider plan to modernise the fleet in partnership with Transport Scotland and Network Rail.'