A SCOTTISH Labour move move to exercise the break clause in the ScotRail contract has been voted down by MSPs at Holyrood.

The party has campaigned for Scottish railway services to be taken back into public ownership at the earliest opportunity.

Dutch operator Abellio began a 10-year contract to run the franchise in 2015, although the Scottish Government can exercise an opportunity in 2020 to end the franchise by its first expiry date in 2022.

Figures released last month put ScotRail’s performance level at its lowest since the franchise began.

Moving the motion, Colin Smyth MSP said: “Under the fragmented, privatised rail system we have today, public transport has become detached from public service.

“Our trains should be essential services, instead they’re being used simply as an opportunity for profit by private companies.” But MSPs voted by 85 to 34 against Smyth’s motion to end the franchise agreement.

He said: “Hard pressed passengers across the country will be disgusted to see the SNP and the Tories block Labour’s plans to end the privatisation of Scotland’s railways.

“Abellio was supposed to be a world-leading contract for ScotRail. Instead passengers are suffering from overpriced, overcrowded trains that are frequently cancelled.

“Time and time again the SNP choose not to use Holyrood’s substantial powers in the interests of the many, not the few.”

The Scottish Government noted that the punctuality and reliability of ScotRail’s services had fallen below agreed performance targets.

Connectivity Minister Paul Wheelhouse said: “The Scottish Government has been clear in our ambition to ensure Scotland’s railways deliver a world-class service across the country. There continues to be significant challenges in both Network Rail and ScotRail’s ability to meet the Government’s challenging, but achievable, service performance targets.”

He added: “However it’s also very important not to lose sight of the significant improvements that ScotRail has already delivered and of the further transformational improvements this contract is on the cusp of delivering for Scotland.”

Scottish Tory transport spokesman Jamie Greene said he is sympathetic to the point behind Labour’s motion but said he could not support it.

“We have no way of predicting what the quality of service will be in 2020. It’s impossible to pre-empt whether or not the break clause should or should not be applied at that time,” he said. “I don’t have the same confidence in this Government that they could take over as operator of last resort,” he added.

The SNP have since renewed calls for the full devolution of Network Rail. MSP Stuart McMillan said: “It’s essential that responsibility for our railways rests with the Scottish Parliament so that we can meet the needs of commuters. The only common sense approach is for Westminster to hand over control of the rail infrastructure to the Scottish Parliament.”

Before the vote, ScotRail Alliance director Alex Hynes admitted the firm had received an advance payment of taxpayer funding despite concerns over performance levels.

Bosses of the rail franchise were questioned by Holyrood’s Rural Economy and Connectivity Committee yesterday over the quality of service in Scotland.

Greene raised the question of whether payments by the Scottish Government and Transport Scotland had been brought forward from the due date of April 2019.

Hynes said the firm had not received any payments which it had not been due but later said: “It’s true to say that ScotRail has received some revenue support payments, which it is contractually due from April next year in advance of April next year.”