The rail union, RMT, has today, Tuesday, 11th January, urged the Scottish government to take the Caledonian Sleeper into public ownership.

The service is currently being run by private contractor Serco, but it is due to have its contract to run the service terminated in June this year. However, so far, there has been no announcement from the Scottish government as to who will take over the service from Serco, or whether they will take it into public ownership as it did with Scotrail.

The latest accounts for Serco’s Caledonian Sleeper service that were published this week show that in the 2021-22 financial year, the company reported a post-tax profit of £7.5m. Those accounts also include a statement that new contractual arrangements beyond June 2023 include a ‘potential direct award to the Company’.

The implication of that statement is that it could mean the Scottish Government is preparing to award Serco a new contract, despite having a public sector operator structure in place running ScotRail services.

It is understood that under any future contract, the Scottish Government would take on all cost and revenue risk whilst paying Serco a fee for the running services which would be funded from public money.

RMT general secretary Mick Lynch said: “The Caledonian Sleeper is a vital part of the travel infrastructure between England and Scotland.

“It must be taken into public ownership so a first-class service can be provided which will encourage the travelling public to use rail for overnight journeys.

“The system of contracting out is corrupt, with public money used as a means to ensure profits and shareholder dividends.

“The Scottish government must do the right thing and bring the Caledonian Sleeper into public ownership as soon as possible.”