The ScotRail brand was originally used for services provided in Scotland by British Rail. After privatisation, the Scottish rail franchise was called ScotRail. On 17 October 2004, the franchise was transferred to First Group from National Express resulting in the rebranding from ScotRail to First ScotRail. This was the first time the franchise has been re-let since the privatisation of British Rail. The Scottish franchises are now controlled by the Scottish Government but on this occasion was dealt with by the Strategic Rail Authority as its agent.