The Courier & Advertiser (Angus and Dundee)
Rail boss hears Fife commuters’ concerns
Lively meeting hears passengers vent their frustration as ScotRail boss pledges to deliver
Fed-up Fifers last night demanded far better train services during a lively public meeting attended by ScotRail Alliance managing director Alex Hynes.
The transport boss bravely faced the music after months of sustained criticism about delayed, cancelled or overcrowded services on the Fife Circle and East Coast lines, with scores of affected passengers venting their frustration at Kirkcaldy Town House.
Audience members spoke of cancellations, lengthy delays, stop skipping and a dearth of carriages on busy services between Fife and Edinburgh, all the time while people have been subject to fare hikes.
Concerns were also raised about safety on services where standing room only has become something of the norm.
And there was more than just a smidgeon of irony when it emerged that one of the busiest trains from Edinburgh to Fife, the 1716 service, had been cancelled due to a shortage of train crew – just hours before the meeting began.
“We’ve let you down and we are very sorry,” Mr Hynes admitted.
“The standard of service has fallen way beneath the standard we aim to provide. We have a solution and it’s our job to fix it as fast as we can.
“But Fife will get a better train service because we will lengthen the trains both in the peak and the off-peak.
“It will have a massive impact and I can’t deliver that too soon for you. We will deliver.”
Mr Hynes said the problems experienced were largely caused by the late delivery of rolling stock from Hitachi, an overtime ban which has now been resolved, and a backlog in training staff, although he said that should be dealt by the end of next month.
And he added that existing Class 170 trains will be redeployed to routes in Fife and the Borders once the new Class 385 and Inter7City trains are in service.
That, he says, will mean more peak trains formed of six carriages and offpeak generally consisting of three, although he admitted he could not give a “cast iron” guarantee on when the new trains will come on stream.
He believes May will see longer trains on off-peak services, but it could be the end of the year before more carriages are on peak services.
Locals complained about various issues, including sudden cancellations, Fifers being short changed compared with other areas, and health and safety issues.
One said services were “potentially dangerous” because of overcrowding, while one woman said it was “completely unacceptable” for people to find themselves so close to strangers.
“You come nose to nose with a gentleman’s zip, you get people’s hands in God knows where...” she added.
However, Mr Hynes stressed that the independent safety regulator does not have set guidelines on the maximum number of passengers allowed per carriage.
Pricing was another bugbear, with many bemoaning the “monopoly” ScotRail has because the train is the only feasible option for many.
One woman said “I don’t want to fall out with other commuters fighting for seats. It’s turning people into animals.”
Mr Hynes said it was his belief the fares and ticketing system in Scotland is outdated, although he stressed that fares are set by the Scottish Government.
He added that ScotRail has banned stop skipping “except as a last resort”, although that prompted groans from the sceptical audience.
Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath MP Lesley Laird, who organised the meeting, concluded: “I think it’s fair to say we’ve probably got more questions than answers. There’s a number of key points here that I will be pressing about health and safety, the delivery plan for when the services will improve, the fares we pay and what can be done to address that now.”
You come nose to nose with a gentleman’s zip, you get people’s hands in God knows where...