ScotRail is being urged to ditch pricey first class seats after it emerged just 2 per cent were used last year - leaving 150,000 luxury seats going spare every month. The shocking findings come despite routine complaints of overcrowding on many key services this year - exacerbated by a reduced timetable which ran from July to the end of September. The Scottish Greens, who obtained the data via freedom of information, hit out at the “waste” of seating while many in standard class are often forced to stand.
The party found that from April 2023 to April 2024, a total of 39,000 first class tickets were bought on ScotRail services - only around 2 per cent of the 2 million that were available. Now, the Greens are urging Scotland’s railway operator - which was nationalised by SNP ministers in 2022 - to declassify first class seating and phase out luxury carriages. They pointed to other examples around the UK including London Northwestern Railway, Southeastern Rail and Greater Anglia who have all taken steps to ditch first class seats.
Scottish Greens transport spokesman Mark Ruskell said: “Our railways should be for all of us. Every journey on a Scotrail service should be a first class experience, it shouldn’t be determined by your ability to pay extra. “We’ve all been in the situation where we struggle to find seats or are forced to stand in cramped carriages , only for first class to be almost completely empty.
That’s such a waste. It’s not good for anyone. “Ra.