Refurbished stations, new trains and major shopping developments are just some of the proposals that have been unveiled to transform the ScotRail franchise, it has been announced.

ScotRail services have been run by Aberdeen-based FirstGroup for the last decade, but on Wednesday, Transport Minister Keith Brown confirmed Abellio, the Dutch rail operator is to take over the £2.5bn franchise.

They will run the services from April 2015, with a break clause for the franchise after five years, and invest millions of pounds to improve services for customers. Included in the new franchise, said to be worth up to £6bn, is free wifi on all trains, additional parking spaces and bike-hire at a number of stations, high-speed intercity diesel trains and major shopping developments at the stations at Aberdeen and Inverness.

While for staff, there will be at least 100 apprenticeships created, guarantee of no compulsory redundancies throughout the life of the contract and rail staff pensions and travel rights protected.

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Transport Minister Keith Brown said: "Following extensive consultation by the Scottish Government, Scotland's railway has attracted a world leading contract to deliver for rail staff and passengers.

"There will be benefits all over the country, with faster services between all our cities, new trains in the Central Belt, a Great Scenic Railway scheme bringing more tourists to the north, the south west and the Borders and major shopping developments at the stations at Aberdeen and Inverness. Glasgow will be the new base for Abellio in the UK with around 200 jobs.

"Trains will have more space for prams and wheelchairs, there will be rigorous new service quality control measures ensuring cleaner trains and improved right-time measures."

He continued: "Every single Scottish station will have CCTV and passengers will enjoy improved waiting facilities at 40 stations, extra retail facilities at up to 50 stations, and hundreds of new car parking spaces.

"All employees including employees of subcontractors will be paid at least the living wage and a new Scottish training academy will be established.

"And for the wider community, unused station buildings will be transformed into premises for start-up businesses, locally-sourced food and drink will provide improved on-train catering, ScotRail training facilities will be available to charities free of charge and the franchisee will pay out £500,000 every year for rail-related community schemes."

(JP/MH)