The ScotRail network had since 2015 been operated by the private-sector franchisee
Abellio ScotRail. In December 2019,
Transport Scotland announced Abellio had not met the performance criteria necessary to have its seven-year franchise extended for a further three years, and the franchise would conclude on 31 March 2022. In March 2021, Transport Scotland announced that the franchise would not be re-tendered for another private-sector operator to run, but would be operated by an
operator of last resort owned by the Scottish Government. The move was welcomed by the
ASLEF,
RMT and
TSSA unions. The then
Minister for Transport,
Jenny Gilruth, confirmed in February 2022 that ScotRail services would return to public ownership. She invited key stakeholders to take part in a discussion on the future of the service, saying "I can confirm that the transition of ScotRail into Scottish Government control will take place on 1 April 2022. Whilst that’s good news, it’s clear that much work still needs to be done... I want to kick-start a National Conversation about what our new beginning for ScotRail should look like - an affordable, sustainable, customer focused rail passenger service in Scotland in a post pandemic world." The
Scottish Conservatives Transport Spokesman,
Graham Simpson, criticised the planned consultation, saying that it "should be about lower fares, restoring services and stopping cuts to ticket offices - measures that will encourage people to use public transport." The
Scottish Liberal Democrats added that discussions should have started two years earlier, when nationalisation was decided. In May 2022,
ASLEF balloted its members for strike action, with drivers refusing to work overtime. In May 2022, many Sunday services were cancelled due to driver shortages. ScotRail stated that the
COVID-19 pandemic had prevented them from training an estimated 130 drivers. On 1 June 2022, ASLEF announced that it had rejected an improved pay offer from ScotRail. A temporary timetable was brought in on 23 May 2022. The number of daily services was cut by around one-third, from approximately 2,150 to 1,456. Many early morning and late night services were cancelled. In June 2022, ASLEF recommended its members accept a revised offer. Services between
Wick and
Inverness on the
Far North Line were cut from four trains each way per day to two. In May 2022,
Stagecoach Highlands announced the introduction of an additional weekday bus service between Inverness and Thurso, on a temporary basis, to compensate for the reduced rail service. The bus would depart Inverness at 11:50, with the return service leaving Thurso at 19:00.
Peak fares removal Between October 2023 and September 2024, ScotRail implemented a trial on removing peak fares. It was initially due to run for six months but was extended twice. The trial increased passenger numbers by 6.8% but 10% was needed to be self-financing. From 1 September 2025, peak fares on ScotRail were permanently scrapped, saving commuters as much as 50%.
Minimum fare In February 2026, ScotRail announced that, starting in July, a passenger who boards a train without a valid ticket would be charged a minimum fare of £10, the aim being to reduce fare evasion. As an exception, the minimum fare would not apply where there was no open ticket office or functioning ticket vending machine at the departure station. Passengers who can only pay with cash would be required to obtain a "‘promise to pay" from a vending machine and then purchase a ticket from on the train.
AI announcer On 22 May 2025, ScotRail began using the
artificial intelligence-generated voice "Iona" as the announcer on some services in the Ayrshire and Inverclyde area. It was claimed that the voice, made with the
Hoya Corporations product ReadSpeak, used recording work done by the actress Gayanne Potter for them in 2021, which at the time she understood would just be used for accessibility and e-learning software. The AI voice replaced older pre-recorded messages recorded by Scottish actress
Fletcher Mathers. Mathers said that to her the voice's intonation, which in some cases had been entered phonetically by staff, "doesn't sound quite right". On 25 August 2025, ScotRail announced that it would be replacing the "Iona" voice, and in December they began using an AI-generated announcer based on
Paisley-based ScotRail employee Vanessa Sloan. The voice was launched on
Class 380 trains, with a wider rollout planned for 2026. ==Services==