A major new study by the Fraser of Allander Institute has revealed the scale of First ScotRail's contribution to the Scottish economy.
The report by the respected economics think-tank shows that First ScotRail enabled total employment of 59,615 people in 2012/2013, which equates to an economic impact for Scotland of £1.5 billion.*
The study also found that ScotRail now employs 4,700 people - up more than 35% since 2004 when FirstGroup took over the franchise from National Express - and supports a total of £302.5 million in wages across Scotland.
The research shows that:
In addition to assessing ScotRail's economic impact, the report also spells out significant performance improvements since FirstGroup was awarded the contract nine years ago. They include:
Steve Montgomery, managing director of ScotRail, said: "ScotRail is an essential part of the fabric of this country and a key driver of Scotland's economy.
"The Fraser of Allander's report outlines the scale of the contribution the company makes, not just in economic terms but also via the major advances we've made since taking over the franchise. That includes major investment in enhancing services and facilities across the country and the great strides we've made in areas such as our environmental performance and our community activities.
"Clearly, our primary role is to deliver the best possible train service for our customers, connecting the communities we serve, and it's gratifying to note that the extensive investment in people and technology we've made since 2004 is reflected in the significant performance improvements outlined in the report."
Deputy First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said: "The results of the study show the important role ScotRail plays in Scotland's economy, providing thousands of jobs and essential services to travellers across the country.
"I'm also pleased to see ScotRail's success in encouraging more and more people to use the railways in Scotland, with 83.3million journeys being made on its services last year.
"The Scottish Government is looking forward to working closely with ScotRail over the coming year as the eyes of the world look to Scotland's exciting programme of events for 2014, which includes the Commonwealth Games, the Ryder Cup and a second Year of Homecoming."
The impact of ScotRail's extensive community, charitable and environmental activity is also assessed in the study carried out by Fraser of Allander in July 2013.
The highly successful 'Adopt a Station' scheme, launched in 2005, gives local people the chance to improve their local station in order to enhance passengers' overall journey experience.
More than 160 of Scotland's 351 stations have now been adopted by community groups and individuals to support a variety of activities.
The company also recently announced the launch of the ScotRail Foundation, designed to help local community groups take action to improve the local environment in areas such as recycling, litter reduction and anti-vandalism initiatives.
Grants range from £250 to £5,000 and ScotRail has pledged to spend £100,000 during 2013-14 to support local community initiatives.
*Enabled employment is based on a measure employed by the New Economics Foundation and is defined as the value of the wages generated by ScotRail commuters, with an estimated 31 million commuter journeys in 2012/2013
**Once wage and supplier impacts are taken into account
View a copy of the report by Fraser of Allander Institute and read the post on the SBS blog by Sean Duffy, commercial director of Scotrail – Keeping Scotland moving through a connected rail network here