Scottish Rail Holdings
 Logo of Scottish Rail Holdings | |
| Formerly | SOLR Holdings Limited (2016–2021) |
|---|---|
| Company type | Scottish Government owned holding company |
| Industry | Rail Transport |
| Founded | 28 October 2016 |
| Headquarters | Glasgow, Scotland, UK |
Area served | Scotland |
Key people | |
| Services | |
| Revenue |  £746 million (2024) |
 £2.3 million (2024) | |
| £15.1 million (2024) | |
| Total assets | £775.2 million (2024) |
| Total equity | £173.7 million (2024) |
Number of employees | 5,172 (2024) |
| Parent | Transport Scotland |
| Subsidiaries | |
| Website | www |
| Footnotes / references [1] | |
Scottish Rail Holdings (SRH) is a government-owned holding company based in Glasgow, Scotland.[2][3] It was formed in 2016 and took over the ScotRail franchise in 2022 and Caledonian Sleeper franchise in 2023 and oversees the majority of passenger rail services in Scotland.
Formation
[edit]It was originally formed in 2016 as SOLR Holdings Limited, a company created under Section 30 of the Railways Act 1993 to act as an operator of last resort if private franchises failed.[4] Its role changed in the early 2020s when the Scottish Government decided to nationalise the ScotRail and Caledonian Sleeper franchises, SRH became the principal public body responsible for majority of Scotland’s passenger rail services. Although a limited company, it is classified as an executive non-departmental public body by the Scottish Government.[5]
Takeover of Scotrail and Caledonian Sleeper
[edit]SRH took over ScotRail franchise in April 2022 from Abellio after the franchise was ended five years early by the Scottish Government.[6][7] and in June 2023 it also took over the Caledonian Sleeper from Serco. Ending the franchise early that was due to run until 2030.[8] With both of Scotland’s main train operating companies under its control, SRH became responsible for the majority of passenger rail services in Scotland.[9][10]
Operations
[edit]By March 2024, Scottish Rail Holdings had become one of the largest passenger rail organisations in Great Britain. It operates the vast majority of Scotland’s passenger rail services and employed 5,172 staff, representing around 8% of the UK’s total train operating company workforce, which stood at approximately 62,000 employees.[11][12]
SRH delivers the vast majority of national passenger rail services in Scotland through its two operators, ScotRail and Caledonian Sleeper. Its network includes commuter routes in the Central Belt, rural routes in the Highlands, intercity services across the country, and overnight trains to and from England. Most cross-border services are operated by other operators. As a result SRH does not serve Lockerbie and Reston, which are located on mainline routes into England, and are consequently the only stations in Scotland not served by either rail SRH company.[13]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ "Annual Report and Accounts 2023–24" (PDF). Scottish Rail Holdings. January 2025. Retrieved 16 July 2025.
- ^ "Privacy Policy". Scottish Rail Holdings. Retrieved 16 July 2025.
- ^ "Reston opens: a new Scottish station, with no Scottish trains". RailTech.com. 23 May 2022. Retrieved 1 August 2025.
- ^ "FRAMEWORK AGREEMENT between The Scottish Ministers acting through Transport Scotland and Scottish Rail Holdings Limited" (PDF). Transport Scotland. 31 March 2022. Retrieved 1 August 2025.
- ^ "National public bodies directory - Executive non-departmental public bodies". Scottish Government. 14 July 2025. Retrieved 17 July 2025.
- ^ "ScotRail franchise to come to an end early | Transport Scotland".
- ^ "ScotRail goes back into public ownership". BBC News. 1 April 2022. Retrieved 16 July 2025.
- ^ "Caledonian Sleeper to be delivered by the Scottish Government". Transport Scotland. 2 March 2023. Retrieved 16 July 2025.
- ^ "ScotRail back in public ownership after Abellio contract ends". The Guardian. 1 April 2022. Retrieved 16 July 2025.
- ^ "Caledonian Sleeper rail service to be nationalised". BBC News. 2 March 2023.
- ^ "Annual Report and Accounts 2023–24" (PDF). Scottish Rail Holdings. January 2025. Retrieved 16 July 2025.
- ^ "Rail Factsheet 2024". Department for Transport. May 2024. Retrieved 16 July 2025.
- ^ ""Double whammy" for rail passengers". 19 January 2023.
External links
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