Rail bosses urged to drop journey change
Pressure is growing on ScotRail to scrap plans to extend the journey time between Perth to Edinburgh as part of sweeping timetable changes.
The rail operator was subjected to heated questions during an online public meeting this week over the proposals, which would come into effect next May.
And earlier this week a rail union survey found workers voted overwhelmingly against the controversial plans.
It comes as Abellio ScotRail’s public consultation over proposals for the timetable change, which would run 2100 services a day - a reduction of 300 compared to the pre-pandemic timetable - closes today (October 1).
The rail operator plans to cut its services to alleviate a £243 million annual deficit, with the Scottish Government soon to take control.
The plans have been met with vehement local criticism after it was announced a number of services would be cut, with the Perth to Edinburgh service set to travel via Dunfermline – upping the journey time to one hour and 40 minutes.
The main service between Inverness to Perth/ Edinburgh will travel via Stirling – where passengers will have to change trains.
Service changes between Perth and Kirkcaldy will also see a wait of at least half an hour at Ladybank for a connecting train.
Wednesday’s virtual public meeting was hosted by Green MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife Mark Ruskell, who was joined by representatives from ScotRail, rail trade unions and around 30 people from Perthshire and the surrounding areas.
It was reported that ScotRail’s business development executive Ewan Tait admitted that the Perth to Edinburgh link was simply “not competitive”.
In addition, RMT ( National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers) bosses say that of about 400 ScotRail workers surveyed, 96 per cent say the timetable changes will have a negative impact on passengers.
And 89 per cent believe the cuts will push passengers away from the rail network and back to their cars.
A ScotRail spokesperson said that while the majority of restrictions have been removed, customer numbers and revenue remain down at only 50 per cent of pre-pandemic level.
“We welcomed the engagement with customers and local stakeholders at the public meeting as it’s important for us to gain valuable feedback from local politicians and their constituents,” they added.
“We would now encourage anyone who has feedback on our May 2022 timetable proposals to take part in our online public consultation at scotrail.co.uk/fitfor-the-future
“This is the last chance to have your say, as the consultation - which has been open since Friday, August 16 - closes , Friday, October 1, 2021. ScotRail will then assess the responses received and publish a response to the consultation.”
They add that they need to change to build a more sustainable and greener railway for the future and reduce the burden on the taxpayer.
During the pandemic, ScotRail made 12 timetable changes during a period when normally there would only be three, which they say gives them concrete evidence upon which to base their timetables going forward.
A link to the consultation can be found at www.scotrail.co.uk/ about- scotrail/ news/ publicconsultation-proposed- newscotrail-timetables