Government leaves forgotten Fifers to wait even longer for new trains and increased capacity
The Scottish Governmentleaves forgotten Fifers to wait even longer for new trains and increased capacity
Ryan Blackadder of the Scottish Greens said: “Commuters in Fife are once again considered “Second Class” passengers as commitments to replacethe debilitating dieseltrainswe are made to suffer withonone of the Capital’s busiest commuter routes are abandoned.The reprioritisation of funds committed to electrification of the Fife Circle is insulting to Fife Passengers.
“Regardless of whether you are on the Dunfermline or Kirkcaldy side of the Fife Circle, the decision is the same. Higher prices and a poorer service.”
The decision to drop their decarbonisation plans was announced by Transport Secretary Fiona Hyslop on Tuesday (Dec 17th) who also announced plans to remove older high-speed trains from Scotland’s railway.
Former LNER Train Manager Blackadder added: “Union, government and rail insiders expect the procurement process launched this week to acquire trains to replace the ailing HSTs has already been decided before even opening to bids and enquiries.
22-year-old, Class 222 trains are being lined up to replace 45-year-old HSTs, the same train they were originally built to replace back in 2003 in the East Midlands. Fife will now be stuck with it’s current fleet of unreliable, constantly short formed and cancelled ageing diesels for years extra – will Scotrail ever treat Fifers as a priority?”
Scottish Greens transport spokesperson and Fife MSP Mark Ruskell said:
“This is another failed promise from the SNP on public transport, at the exact point that we must be doubling down funding rail infrastructure to create greener, faster and more reliable services.
“Increasing the efficiency on the Fife Circle should be a top priority for any government, yet it seems that the SNP will kick this into the long grass. Regular, faster services are what we need on our commuter network, but that is not what the SNP will deliver.
“Scottish Greens will continue to campaign for real improvements to our rail network, making travelling by rail cheaper, faster and more efficient for all.”
ENDS