ScotRail’s new timetable is out for consultation and, if it goes ahead, it will see services reduced and journey times significantly extended on key routes to places including Stirling, Dunblane, Perth and Kirkcaldy. As we begin to recover from the pandemic and take meaningful action to tackle the climate emergency, improved public transport will be key. We want you to take action, write to ScotRail and tell them to think again on the new timetable and make sure journey times aren’t extended.
Good rail services open up opportunities for work, leisure and education and are among the most environmentally friendly way to travel. We need to promote rail travel by making services as affordable, reliable and quick as possible. Any move to extend journey times on key routes is a step in the wrong direction.
We all recognise that public transport use declined during the pandemic, but rather than accept that change as permanent we should be doing everything we can to encourage people back onto the railways when it is safe to do so.
What is being proposed?
ScotRail’s proposed new timetable will extend journey times on several key routes throughout the region. Journeys to Stirling and Dunblane from Edinburgh will take up 15 minutes longer than they do currently. There also won’t be a good commuter train for passengers travelling to Edinburgh from Dunblane, something which has caused issues for the community in the past.
Routes that previously connected Dunblane and Glasgow will be diverted to Alloa. ScotRail propose new services between Dundee and Glasgow calling at Dunblane will pick up the slack, but again these journeys will take longer than at present.
Services between the capital and Perth will all be diverted via Dunfermline leading to some journey’s times being extended by more than 20 minutes.
In Fife there will be significant reduction in services between West Fife and Kirkcaldy, no more direct links to Perth and the Highlands from Kirkcaldy, more journeys within Fife will require a change at Inverkeithing and journey times to Edinburgh will be increased.
Why is rail important?
Transport is one of the leading sources of emissions in Scotland, but rail is one of the most environmentally friendly ways to travel. If Scotland is to meet its aim of hitting net zero emissions by 2045 then it’s clear that we need to encourage increased use of public transport.
That means we need to make sure railway is a viable alternative to people who might otherwise chose to take the car. If we want to encourage more people to chose to travel by rail we need to make sure that it’s affordable, accessible and crucially as quick as possible.
Who is responsible for the new timetable?
The new timetable is being proposed by ScotRail which is currently operated by the Dutch company Abellio. However, due to the company failing to meet its performance criteria, it was announced in 2019 that the firm would not be operating the franchise beyond March 2022. Earlier this year the Scottish Government announced that the franchise would be taken into public ownership in 2022.