Scotrail cold facts

Abellio Scotrail really has to do better. Last Saturday (4 November), I was due in Glasgow for a conference, and boarded the 0756 train at Stonehaven, bound for Queen Street.

Let me say right away that I try to avoid travelling on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, simply because Abellio Scotrail trains can’t cope with passenger numbers.

The 0756 was busy. It always is. I sat crammed in a seat. But at least I had a seat; from Perth, folk were standing all the way to Glasgow. Regular passengers tell me that this is a weekly feature.

During the cattle-class journey, I’d plenty of time to reflect that for less than the same fare (£34.75), I could have travelled 1st return to Edinburgh by Virgin Trains East Coast, with all the appurtenances and passenger comforts that don’t exist within the world of Abellio Scotrail.

I wanted to use the toilet towards the end of the southbound journey. Some hope: the crush on the train was impenetrable, quite apart from the queue at the toilet. This is the uncivilised rail world being flung at us travellers.

The return journey proved a minor nightmare. The scheduled train had become lost somewhere, so Abellio laid on two 158s. These particular trains represent an abso-

lute nadir in rail travel, quite the worst trains ever invented. Additionally, we poor folk had bonuses of no seat reservations, no 1st class and no refreshment trolley. Further, the train really was cold.

Does Alex Hynes, boss of Abellio Scotrail, know how rightly aggrieved we passengers feel at being carried for 300 miles over five hours in conditions redolent of the underdeveloped world? And what is Mr Hynes going to do about the travail of rail travel?

GORDON CASELY

Crathes, Kincardineshire