CityCyclingEdinburgh was launched on the 27th of October 2009 as "an experiment".
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Councillor Johnstone added that the first year of the railway has not been without its challenges. However, she is confident that Transport Scotland and Abellio ScotRail are working together to increase capacity on the trains, refurbish rolling stock and improve performance.
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The authors claim that “much of the responsibility” rests with Transport Scotland and the Scottish Government for their poor infrastructure choices.
They note that less than 10 miles of the line has double track and described the Class 158 units used on the route - which has steep gradients and multiple stops - as “the least reliable diesel units in Scotland”.
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The reopening of the Borders Railway, with a station at Gorebridge, provides scope for improved public transport access. The station is close to the southern end of the town, and will be a benefit to locations in its vicinity. Its proximity to the town centre could provide an impetus for expanding services there, with the additional business from travellers. The SESplan Action Programme commits to the delivery of a new Redheugh Station on the Borders Railway. There is no funding or operator commitment and known issues regarding the delivery of the project in terms of the operation of rail services. However, the MLDP would support the creation of a new station with park and ride facility at Redheugh should this be a practical proposition as it would play a key role in delivering sustainable travel for the new community.
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http://midlothian-consult.objective.co.uk/portal/planningpolicy/mldp/mldppp?pointId=s1423848052869
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Borders Railway wins top tourism project award
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-south-scotland-37922335
Very nice, although it kind of summarises the lines problems. Great fit tourists, not so great for commuters.
We tried to take two bikes on the train back to Edinburgh from Gala last Saturday. The conductor came out to tell us there was no more room and that (bizarrely) we should remember that there's only room for three bikes per train. She did relent because the carriages were almost empty and allowed us to put the bikes in the doorways of the front carriage on the condition that we stood beside them.
This doesn't really fit well with Borders Council's plans for cycling tourism.
It took some tongue biting as we'd just finished a 200km ride in cold conditions. I was ready to rant but didn't have the energy. I thought the conductors had been advised to be flexible (she was quite begrudging)
"we should remember that there's only room for three bikes per train"
We're there (or more)?
I dislike it when they say "You can't get on as we may get lots of customers up the line". Well I'm paying more than them as I'm getting on up the line. Even when we offer to stand in the door way and take the bike off and back on, for other passengers they don't allow bikes on.
Last week a lady conductor in Haymarket did not allow a cyclist on as she said there were lots of people getting on at South Gyle. On arrival ot South Gyle one of the bikes got off, two got on and more passengers got off the train than got on.
Its ridiculous and why I don't get the train if I can help it. On our last 400 in Gala there were three bikes on the platform at ~9am Sunday train to Edinburgh and I was also tired and in no mood for trouble. The conductor didn't bat an eye lid but I was prepared to delay the train and wait for any train police to turf me off if the conductor got shirty. It doesn't do anything for my sympathy of their contract dispute with Snotrail, wanting to opperate driver only trains.
chdot: "We're there (or more)?"
We hadn't forgotten we just didn't know if any of the three were left. Presumably they were taken by people who got on at Tweedbank. My cynical side thinks they may have got on when the train came through Gala outbound to avoid the problem we had.
I thought the conductors had been advised to be flexible (she was quite begrudging)
I think they have, but conductors will have authority to use their own judgement, flawed, prejudiced or just plain wrong as it might be.
I think Scotrail's policy should be that bikes may get on a quiet train if the nominal capacity is exceeded on the proviso the owner is warned they may be asked to get off and wait for the next train if it gets too busy.
Conductors trying to predict the future, i.e. how many bikes there may or may not be wanting to get on the train at any given platform up the line and at what point any other bikes already on the train may or may not get off is doomed to fail.
My usual bargaining chip is to promise to get off if it gets too busy and I'm causing an obstruction (I've never had to). I once nearly missed the only train on a Sunday from Thurso to Inverness (and therefore my connection home to Edinburgh) thanks to an obstreperous conductor who refused to allow more than 2 bikes on an otherwise empty 2 car 158 unit. Myself and another cyclist who hadn't got bookings would have been left stranded in Thurso (coincidentally it was someone I knew from Edinburgh Road Club). The conductor claimed it was not his fault but that "Inverness" (said in that reverential yet disdaining manner normally held for company management) were counting bikes off the trains and if there were more than the nominal capacity it was more than his job was worth. We negotiated on by promising to get off at the 2nd-to-last stop (Muir of Ord) and cycle the rest of the way to Inverness. We were wasily able to fit our 2 bikes alongside the 2 on the 2-bike rack that the train had with some imaginative bungee use. The conductor did come through the train at one point to check if we had remembered our side of the bargain.
Come Muir of Ord we played our ace and revealed that we had booked connections at Inverness in half an hour (including booked bike spaces) and there was no way to cycle it in time. With much huffing and puffing and not willing to hold the train up he grudgingly allowed us on to Inverness. Of course at Inverness there was not a soul on the platform (it was about 10AM on a Sunday) and the trains heading south were packed to the gunwhales with unbooked bikes.
I have heard that Inverness can get very shirty and threaten to call the police on cyclists on occasion if they dare to travel by bike.
This uncertainty undermines the cycle tourism initiative. There may be more relaxed people than me, but I hate not knowing whether my bike will be allowed on the train.
@amir yes indeed. My journey on the Far North line which I had been really looking forward to (it's not one I'll get the chance to do often) was rather spoiled by constantly looking over my shoulder for the grumpy conductor and also worrying If I was actually going to get put off at Muir of Ord and make it home or have to shell out for new tickets at Inverness and potentially get kicked off another train.
obstreperous
Nice word.
This uncertainty undermines the cycle tourism initiative. There may be more relaxed people than me, but I hate not knowing whether my bike will be allowed on the train.
Try it with a family cycle touring...
It's truly a miserable experience that tends to drive one to private motorised transport, which sums up most Scottish transport experience!
Robert
I gave up on getting the train to Taynuilt and back from Forres for my summer tour.
It just wasn't possible and they didn't want my money or custom despite my best blandishments. This was a source of great sadness and frustration.
@Roibeard
It's an astonishingly anti-business attitude. It's just that the businesses in question are B&Bs, campsites, pubs, outdoor shops and cafes.
Accidentally off topic.
From link above -
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Table 10a: Reason for changing mode of transport for travel to work, 2012-2015
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50% of people change mode because they change job or move house each year!
SO lots of opportunities for people to think - and lots of opportunities for governments employers/organisations to help with the thinking.
And also from the link above, public transport use falls with higher income. I guess wealthier people are not going to put up with being treated like third class citizens. If one of the tricks to business success is to get your product or service used by the influential (usually wealthy) then it's a trick that's being missed across most of the cycling/rail/bus network in Scotland.
"also from the link above, public transport use falls with higher income. I guess wealthier people are not going to put up with being treated like third class citizens"
All Scotland stats. A bit different in Edinburgh.
Imagine the state of the roads/traffic/drivers without Lothian Buses.
Imagine the state of the roads/traffic/drivers without Lothian Buses.
Totally gridlocked but much smoother?
"but much smoother"
Because of non-moving traffic or fewer buses?
I suppose it would depend how (extra) car-city paid for the roads.
I suppose one solution to the issue of bike space on trains is to use a folding bike. Certainly I tend to do this if going longer distance with a bike by train. It becomes a piece of bulky luggage rather than a bike, and guards seem to be fine with it even if it's not a micro-folding Broimpton - which none of my folders are.
I must say the past few times I've taken full sized bikes on trains it's been no problem. Booking a bike space helps, of course. I've even travelled by train north of Inverness with a bike plus Carry Freedom trailer! Once the guard could see the wheels came off he was very relaxed about it, as it fitted nicely in the luggage rack with the Ortlieb bag still strapped to it.
How would it work if they allowed booking? Would they allocate the space to someone else if you missed the train?
What we need is a guard's van with a guard on each train. What we'll get is a nationwide Docklands Light Railway.
As ever (housing, land, transport), it's the procurement models that determine the nature of our society. Whose needs are taken into account and whose are most important?
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Earlier morning commuter services between Inverness and the central belt will begin in mid-December, Mr Yousaf added, with work nearing completion to add additional carriages to peak time services on the Borders rail from December boosting capacity.
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neil harkness (@neil_harkness)
26/11/2016, 11:53
@ScotRail @BordersRailway @John2Win @CalumKerrSNP 40 plus people left standing in the cold at Newcraighall train full
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The initial surge in passengers on the Borders Railway was reversed in the second half of its first year, official figures showed today....
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