Track needs doubling
Bold promises by the Scottish Government should be backed up by action to maintain public confidence. Aberdeen expects, and so does the Highlands.
The ScotRail website tells us that the average journey time between Inverness and Edinburgh is now 3hrs 40mins. This is five minutes longer than in August 2008, when Alex Salmond promised us a 35-minute reduction to only three hours average time with a
fastest service of 2hrs 45mins, all to be implemented by 2012!
The line from Perth to Inverness is a strategic route important for the Scottish economy - not least for tourism. The problem is that it is largely single-track, and trains have to wait in loops to pass trains going the other way. When a delay occurs, this can happen several times on a single journey along the line, and the amount of lateness builds up.
Highland travellers have been suffering this for years, and expectations were raised that it would become a distant memory because a second track would be built along the single-line sections.
What has happened is that passenger numbers have greatly increased, and a welcome increase in the number of services has been provided. But because the extra capacity has not yet been built, the line is overcrowded.
The faster and more comfortable trains that have just been introduced are very welcome. But however fast they go they can only go as far as the next crossing place, where they have to wait for whatever is coming the other way.
It is generally accepted in the industry that single-track railways are a nightmare to operate and don’t really work when the number of trains is increased near to full capacity. The Government has set itself a new target to sort the line out by 2025. May we hope it will deliver on its promise this time, please? R J Ardern, Inverness