Bid to tackle train troubles

Service to stop at fewer stations

Passengers travelling on Stirling, Bridge of Allan and Dunblane trains are to get an improved service, according to Scotrail

Changes to the timetable means that services between Dunblane and Edinburgh will no longer stop at Polmont and Linlithgow.

A new half-hourly service between Glasgow and Edinburgh, which runs via Cumbernauld and Falkirk Grahamston will be introduced. This service will call at Linlithgow and Polmont and the Dunblane to Edinburgh service will no longer stop at these stations.

The move means the service will run non-stop between Falkirk Grahamston and Edinburgh Park, reducing the journey time by 10 minutes and offering more seats for customers travelling from and to Falkirk, Larbert, Stirling, Bridge of Allan and Dunblane.

A new hourly service will operate between Dundee and Glasgow, calling at Invergowrie, Perth, Gleneagles, Dunblane, Bridge of Allan and Stirling. This runs non-stop between Stirling and Glasgow and will reduce journey times into the city by around ten minutes.

It also provides a new direct service between Bridge of Allan and Dunblane to Gleneagles, Perth and Dundee.

A ScotRail Alliance spokesperson said: “These major improvements will transform the quality of rail journeys on the M9 and M80 corridors and we are confident they will attract significant volumes of new customers.

“We will introduce the new services in a phased manner as improvement works to the infrastructure are completed.

“We are planning for customers to experience the initial benefits by the end of 2018.”

Mid Scotland and Fife Green MSP, Mark Ruskell added: “I’m pleased there is light at the end of the tunnel for Stirling, Bridge of Allan and Dunblane rail commuters who have for years now been experiencing over-crowded slow services, prone to cancellation and delay.

“The new services will be far more dedicated to our local needs, we will no longer feel stuck at the end of a long slow line and there will be greater capacity to take more commuters out of traffic jams and onto the rails.

“It’s important that the timetable for the improvements doesn’t slip and I’ll be seeking more reassurances from ScotRail and Network Rail that these changes are actually delivered by the end of the year. We have waited long enough.”

In March, the Observer reported how commuters branded services between Dunblane and Edinburgh as “utterly shocking”.

There were reports that trains at peak times are so overcrowded that up to a dozen passengers were forced to stand in toilets to continue their journey.

On the back of those complaints a special public meeting was held last week in Bridge of Allan to give frustrated passengers their chance to comment.

The meeting, held in the Allan Centre on Friday evening, was convened by Dunblane and Bridge of Allan councillors Alastair Majury and Douglas Dodds. It was also backed by Alexander Stewart MSP and gave regular users of the services the chance to raise issues, including the early termination of trains at Stirling station, overcrowding and trains regularly being cancelled.

The concerns are now to be passed on to Transport Minister, Humza Yousaf, and ScotRail, with the hope that a further meeting can be held with all parties later this year.