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Timeline: How Abellio lost Scotland's confidence

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Dutch rail operator Abellio's contract in Scotland has been cut short by three years after performance criticisms. Here are some of the key moments in the run up to the decision.

  • October 2014: Abellio wins the franchise over Aberdeen-based FirstGroup, which until that point had ran most Scottish rail services for 10 years. The Dutch firm promised to invest millions in improving services.
  • March 2015: One month before Abellio takes over it issues a number of promises for its services in Scotland. They include perks for jobseekers, free wi-fi and refurbished high-speed trains
  • January 2016: Abellio makes profits of £9.5m in the first nine months which led critics to accuse it of profiteering.
  • October 2016: 19,000 people back a petition calling for Abellio to be stripped of its ScotRail contract over delays and cancellations, ScotRail said one of the largest programmes of modernisation since Victorian times was to blame for the disruption.
  • September 2017: Abellio ScotRail reports a loss of £3.5m in its first full year operating train services in Scotland. Accounts also showed that it was loaned £10m by a Dutch sister company. Tough trading conditions and a partial closure of Glasgow Queen Street station were blamed for the loss in 2016.
  • May 2018: It is revealed ScotRail missed performance targets in 22 out of 34 areas in the first months of 2018.
  • July 2018: The first of a new batch of electric trains start running between Glasgow and Edinburgh four months after they were promised. The following month the first fully upgraded InterCity train arrives in Scotland.
  • October 2018: ScotRail's performance level hits the lowest since the franchise began.
  • December 2018: The rail operator is given eight weeks to turn around its performance in an official notice issued by the Scottish government after a surge in cancellations. Two months later ScotRail is given a second notice after failing to meeting passenger satisfaction targets.
  • January 2019: Passenger satisfaction falls to a 16-year low, according to a survey. ScotRail apologises for an "unacceptable service" but says disruption would continue for the "foreseeable future". Ticket fares increase by 2.8%.
  • February 2019: Figures show that staff shortages caused the cancellation of thousands of ScotRail services since April 2018.
  • March 2019: ScotRail unveils a £18m plan to try and improve its performance for passengers which includes leasing three extra trains and hiring more staff. The firm also says it is seeking millions of pounds in compensation for the late delivery of new trains.
  • August 2019: Major disruption and claims of dangerous overcrowding during the Edinburgh Fringe - ScotRail admits it did not do well enough. Meanwhile work to rule industrial action begins over a row with the TSSA union regarding train managers.
  • November 2019: ScotRail admits it will not hit a target of stopping the dumping of human waste onto railway tracks by 2020.
  • December 2019: ScotRail vows the latest changes to timetables across the country will add 10,000 extra seats for passengers each day. TSSA union claims victory in its long-running dispute with ScotRail. Transport Secretary Michael Matheson announces franchise will end in March 2022, three years earlier than expected.