Editing First ScotRail (section)

{{Short description|Train operating company in Scotland}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2017}}
{{Use British English|date=January 2017}}
{{Infobox rail company
|name           = First ScotRail
|other_name     = {{native name|gd|Rèile na h-Alba}}
|image          = File:British Rail Class 158 738.JPG
|image_size     = 
|caption        = [[British Rail Class 158|Class 158 ''Express Sprinter'']] at {{stnlnk|North Queensferry}} in 2009
|franchise      = ScotRail<br>17 October 2004 &ndash; 31 March 2015
|logo           = ScotRail logo.svg
|logo_size      = 250px
|regions        = [[Scotland]]
|abbr           = SR
|secregions     = [[North West England]]<br>[[North East England]]
|fleet          = 311
|stationsop     = 344
|length        = {{cvt|3032.0|km}}{{cn|date=April 2023}}
|parent_company = [[FirstGroup]]
|website        = {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150316194950/http://www.scotrail.co.uk/|title=www.scotrail.co.uk}}
|predecessor    = [[ScotRail (National Express)]]
|successor     =  [[Abellio ScotRail]]<br>[[Caledonian Sleeper]] 
}}
'''First ScotRail'''<ref>{{cite web |url = http://data.companieshouse.gov.uk/doc/company/SC185018 |publisher = [[Companies House]] |title = First ScotRail Limited: Company no. SC185018 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160412232247/http://data.companieshouse.gov.uk/doc/company/SC185018 |archive-date = 12 April 2016 |access-date = 23 December 2023}}</ref> was a [[train operating company]] in Scotland owned by [[FirstGroup]]. It operated the ScotRail franchise between October 2004 and March 2015.

On 17 October 2004, First ScotRail took over operations from the incumbent franchisee, [[ScotRail (National Express)|National Express]]. First ScotRail operated most commuter and long-distance services within Scotland, and some services to northern England, as well as the [[Caledonian Sleeper]] to London. Of FirstGroup's four train operating companies, ScotRail was the second largest (in terms of number of passenger journeys 2013&ndash;14) after [[Great Western Railway (train operating company)|First Great Western]] at the time of the termination of its franchise.

During April 2008, [[Transport Scotland]] granted a three-year franchise extension to First ScotRail. In May 2009, First ScotRail announced a crackdown on fare-dodging due to abuse of the Flexipass ticket system. One month later, it was alleged that ScotRail's passenger figures were substantially inflated and that 7.2 million less passenger journeys had been actually made; the matter became politically charged but did not impact the extension decision. In June 2012, the Scottish Government announced that the [[Caledonian Sleeper]] services would be split off from the ScotRail franchise. Following its unsuccessful bid to retain the franchise in 2014, First ScotRail transferred operations to [[Abellio ScotRail]] on 1 April 2015.