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Call to re-open direct rail link to Perth

(5 posts)
  • Started 10 years ago by LaidBack
  • Latest reply from Arellcat

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  1. LaidBack
    Member

    BBC Scotland News - call for Edinburgh - Perth line to re-open

    Trackbed partly under the M90 so not so easy to do? Plus currently the train does serve Kirkcaldy.

    There was a commitment to reduce journey times to Inverness and more importantly increase frequency which would help with the current inadequate 3 coach trains (or 3+2 units) used on this neglected part of the rail network.

    Currently anyone catching the 6.30 early train from Edinburgh to Inverness has the delight of wandering through the vastness of Perth railway station as it is impossible it seems to run through trains all the time from either Glasgow or Edinburgh. This is designed to deter the business market of course and works pretty well. My wife reported back after doing this last week and can honestly say that the rail service at that time of day would only be used by those that don't have a choice.

    Meanwhile the A9 continues to be popular although will suffer disruption as the upgrade to dual carriageway continues for 20 years. Improving the existing railway would cost a fraction.

    Debate today in Holyrood. From cycling point of view an improved Highland line with hourly service might make people leave their cars with bike racks at home.

    Posted 10 years ago #

  2. minus six
    Member

    What bugs me on the this line is coming back down from the Cairngorms on sunday afternoons - you have to get the Inverness to Glasgow train and change at Perth.

    Which would be no problem, but there's a 30 minute wait for the next Perth to Edinburgh train - and ten minutes into the wait, what turns up? The Dundee to Glasgow train.

    Makes no sense to me. Seems there's a west coast bias at work in Scotrail's timetabling.

    Posted 10 years ago #

  3. crowriver
    Member

    The other bizarre aspect of the timetable is that so many services stop short of Perth. The ones that go via Linlithgow, Larbert, Falkirk Grahamston and Stirling, mostly terminate in Dunblane. No doubt there is some timetabling logic to this but it makes more sense for trains to terminate in Perth does it not?

    If you miss the (once every two hours) train to Edinburgh (Inverness-Edinburgh), a passenger starting in Perth has to get on an Aberdeen-Glasgow or Inverness-Glasgow service, then change at Stirling for the Dunblane-Edinburgh service. Madness!

    Posted 10 years ago #

  4. Arellcat
    Moderator

    Debate at 1430:

    http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/parliamentarybusiness/BusinessBulletin/63947.aspx

    Keith Brown kicks off, with selected amendments from Elaine Murray, Alex Johnstone, Tavish Scott and Patrick Harvie.

    http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/parliamentarybusiness/28877.aspx?SearchType=Advance&ReferenceNumbers=S4M-06766.4&ResultsPerPage=10

    Posted 10 years ago #

  5. Arellcat
    Moderator

    Official report:

    http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/parliamentarybusiness/28862.aspx?r=8181&mode=html#iob_74229

    Robust discussion about Fife trains and routes north. Keith Brown had all of this to say about GLQ:

    "Queen Street station will, of course, be transformed in the longer term."

    Posted 10 years ago #

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