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Super Caley goes public! Union win as sleeper service is nationalised

The Caledonian Sleeper rail service is to be nationalised later this year in what has been hailed as a huge win for the unions.

The Scottish government has announced today that an arm’s length company of the government would take over the franchise on 25th June when Serco’s contract is due to expire.

In a statement to MSPs, she said the step would “provide stability and certainty” for passengers and staff.

Commenting on the news, RMT general secretary Mick Lynch said the Scottish Government has “done the right thing” in bringing all of its passenger rail services into public ownership.

TSSA Interim President, Marios Alexandrou, added: “This decision is certainly welcome because there’s no space for profiteering on Scotland’s railways.

“The Sleeper is a vital service and was run for many decades successfully under public ownership. Now it will be again and that is a good thing because we need a rail network that runs wholly in the public interest.

“Serco’s involvement in the service proved costly and chaotic, something which reflects the wider failure of the private sector in our railways.”

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Jack Peat

Jack is a business and economics journalist and the founder of The London Economic (TLE). He has contributed articles to VICE, Huffington Post and Independent and is a published author. Jack read History at the University of Wales, Bangor and has a Masters in Journalism from the University of Newcastle-upon-Tyne.

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