ON THE day a state-owned Dutch company takes control of the ScotRail franchise, the Scottish Greens have called for a change in UK law that prevents domestic public sector bodies bidding for railway contracts.

New operator Abellio has promised the start of a “new chapter” in the country’s railways but the Greens have said public ownership should be the default option when franchises come up for renewal.

Abellio marked the start of their 10-year contract as operators of ScotRail by giving away £1 million-worth of tickets to users of the rail service.

The group, who have taken over from FirstGroup, have pledged new, faster trains between Glasgow and Edinburgh as well as a larger and newly refurbished fleet of intercity trains.

Green MSP Allison Johnstone called it “somewhat ironic” that publicly owned companies from abroad are free to bid on UK services while UK ones cannot.

Johnstone said: “Greens believe that the infrastructure arteries of our economy should be publicly-owned as default, so we’ll continue the fight to change the law that prevents this.”

“It’s somewhat ironic that the new operator of ScotRail is a business owned by the people of Holland at a time when keeping the railways in public hands is not an option in the UK,” she said.

The Greens have claimed a return to public ownership could lead to a better, more affordable public transport system, citing East Coast rail’s five years under public ownership, a period when they said it returned more than £1 billion to the public purse.

Transport Minister Derek Mackay backed Abellio, saying he looked forward to them becoming the “beating heart” of the Scottish Rail service.

He said: “The ScotRail franchise is the single biggest contract let by the Scottish Government, so it was important to us that the new operator could deliver not only a reliable and successful rail service for the country but also that it would be an enabler for growth in our economy.

“Abellio has promised to contribute to Scottish public life in many ways beyond the railway.

“I look forward to seeing Abellio ScotRail become the beating heart of this exciting time for the railways in Scotland,” Mackay added.

At yesterday’s launch in Stirling, Jeff Hoogesteger, chief executive of Abellio Group, said: “Abellio is proud to be serving Scotland and it is a privilege to be launching the new ScotRail from Stirling.

“Today begins a new chapter in the long story of Scotland’s railways.

“As the new stewards of a vital part of Scotland’s society and economy, we understand the responsibility and will work every day to earn the faith shown in us.”

The Dutch firm have promised to give something back to the community during their contract, with plans to offer free travel to up to two interviews a month for jobseekers, and a month’s free travel when they start work.

Abellio UK managing director Dominic Booth said: “We are determined ScotRail will now go beyond A-to-B and play a strategic role in the long-term success of the country.”