Both our Vice-President, Rhoda Grant and John Finnie have continued to ask rail-related questions to the Scottish Government in January and February.

S4W-29164: Rhoda Grant, Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour:

To ask the Scottish Government on how many of the 309 weekdays between 15 December 2014 and 12 December 2015 rail services on the Far North Line achieved 100% reliability.

Derek Mackay: Of the 309 weekdays between 15 December 2014 and 12 December 2015, 100 percent reliability (that is, no full cancellations, part-cancellations, or incidents where a train failed to stop where it should have stopped) was achieved on 216 days.

S4W-29462: Rhoda Grant, Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour:

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S4W-29164 by Derek Mackay on 20 January 2016, how many times over the same period did services achieve 100% punctuality.

Derek Mackay: Of the 309 weekdays between 15 December 2014 and 12 December 2015, 100 percent punctuality of the 18 or 19 trains per day run (that is, within 4 minutes 59 seconds of the booked time), was achieved on 49 days.

S4W-29962: John Finnie, Highlands and Islands, Independent:

To ask the Scottish Government whether the introduction of high-speed trains to run on ScotRail inter-city routes is on schedule.

Derek Mackay: ScotRail are on target to introduce these iconic trains into service commencing summer 2018 and will shortly announce its plans to fully refurbish this fleet.

S4W-29963: John Finnie, Highlands and Islands, Independent:

To ask the Scottish Government whether the proposed average 10-minute reduction in journey times for train services between the central belt and Inverness by March 2019 is on schedule and when it will announce full details of what services will be in place.

Derek Mackay: Phase two of the Highland Main Line Improvement project is on schedule to deliver, by March 2019, journey time improvements averaging around 10 minutes, an hourly service between Perth and Inverness, extended to either Glasgow or Edinburgh, and increased opportunities for freight. Full details of the services will be published in late autumn 2018 as part of the December 2018 ScotRail timetable.

S4W-29964: John Finnie, Highlands and Islands, Independent:

To ask the Scottish Government what technical challenges would need to be overcome to introduce more double track on the Highland Main Line and which viaducts would require major work to accommodate this.

Derek Mackay: There are a number of engineering, constructability, access and environmental challenges which Network Rail would have to address to introduce more double track on the Highland Main Line. There are a total of 312 structures, including underbridges, overbridges and viaducts.

S4W-29965: John Finnie, Highlands and Islands, Independent:

To ask the Scottish Government whether it expects Great Western Railway to release high-speed trains to Abellio to run on ScotRail inter-city routes in 2017-18.

Derek Mackay: The high-speed trains are owned by Angel Trains and they have a contractual agreement to lease them to Abellio ScotRail from autumn 2017 onwards. These trains are currently operated by First Great Western whose leases expire in late 2017 to early 2018 with Angel Trains.