TRANSPORT Secretary Michael Matheson will be urged this week to end a contract with the Dutch company which runs Scotland’s trains and bring them into public ownership.

MSPs are to vote on Wednesday on whether the Government should enforce the ScotRail “break clause” to bring the current franchise to an end in 2022.

Under the terms of the agreement with the train operator, ministers can exercise an opportunity in 2020 to end the franchise by its first expiry date two years later if the firm fails to meet its obligations. The franchise is currently run by Dutch state-owned Abellio, whose 10-year contract began in 2015.

Former transport minister Humza Yousaf pledged to work up a public sector bid two years ago after criticism of Abellio’s performance.

He argued that the operator had not been good enough as he urged unions and opposition parties to work with him to produce a public sector alternative.

Yousaf spoke out as performance data from ScotRail showed 86% of trains arrived at their destination on time or were less than five minutes late from October 16 to November 12 in 2016. ScotRail was forced to produce a performance improvement plan in September that year, at the request of Transport Scotland, after punctuality and reliability fell below expected standards.

The Holyrood vote on Wednesday has been initiated by Labour which supports renationalisation of the railways. Earlier this year it emerged the Transport Secretary will allow Abellio to breach the franchise performance levels in a “temporary waive” until June 2019. He reached this deal with the firm after they had already hit breach level, without informing Parliament.

Scottish Labour transport spokesman Colin Smyth said: “Passengers across Scotland are fed up with overcrowded, overpriced and late running trains. It’s time to hit the brakes on privatisation and bring our railways back into public ownership.

“The SNP claimed the Abellio contract would be a world-leading deal – instead the Government has shifted the goal posts on targets and given the franchise a licence to fail. For years the nationalists have said they would work up a public sector bid, but that promise appears further behind schedule than the average train journey in Scotland.

If the SNP was serious about a public sector bid it would be ready to step in at the first opportunity to end the franchise. On Wednesday Labour will make the case to end the franchise at the first opportunity and accelerate the process for public ownership.”

The Scottish Government said: “We know performance is not where it should be – that is why ministers can and do hold Abellio ScotRail to account within the terms of the franchise agreement. This includes the ability to end the contract if its terms are not met and it is in the public interest to do so.

“ScotRail performance has remained consistently ahead of the GB average, but that GB average has got steadily worse since Network Rail moved timetable planning for Scotland to its Milton Keynes HQ in 2012. It is clear these essential railway functions must be devolved back to Scotland to allow any franchise operator to perform at its best.”