Social Enterprise Scotland has said that wider options need to be considered for running the country's rail franchise

Scotland’s beleaguered rail franchise could prosper as a social enterprise.

Social Enterprise Scotland policy manager Duncan Thorp has called for the Scottish Government to consider putting Scotrail in the hands of the people.

He was responding to the latest rail passenger satisfaction survey results, released by watchdog Transport Focus, which show a decline in satisfaction levels across the country.

Thorp said now is time for a change in ownership for Scotrail, which is operated by Dutch rail firm Abellio.

"Privatisation of our railways has failed,” he said. “However, the political debate about Scotrail remains trapped in an old 1970s nationalisation mindset. The alternative is a sustainable social enterprise model, managed by employees and owned by the people of Scotland."

Thorp has previously highlighted his belief that the Scottish Government needs to look at wider options for public or private ownership of the railways, and that an integrated company running both trains and tracks could lead to a first class service being provided.

The survey released at the end of last month showed satisfaction with ticket prices, punctuality and overcrowding had all decreased since the previous survey.