Record rail service improvements

Transport Scotland and operator First ScotRail have agreed a package including faster journey times and more trains, as well as the start of the timetable which will facilitate services on the new Borders Railway when it opens next year.

The new timetable has been welcomed by Passenger Focus. It will include –

• 1,000 extra seats across the daily peaks,
• enhanced performance reliability for various routes on the network,
• improved journey times, more services and increased capacity on the Argyle Line, Scotland’s second busiest route connecting parts of Lanarkshire with Glasgow,
• reduction in the majority of journey times between Lanark and Glasgow Central,
• an earlier morning train allowing passengers from Lanark to make morning connections to London,
• an additional Sunday service on the popular Oban-Glasgow route all year round,
• a significant update of the Argyle line timetable, which has been in place, almost entirely, for 35 years, with more regular service times and increased reliability,
• improved journey times and reliability on the newly-electrified Whifflet line,
• current Whifflet-Glasgow Central services extending to the west of the city,
• services to facilitate the new Borders Railway, which opens in September, almost half a century after the last trains on the old line,
• new direct connection between Cumbernauld-Hamilton through extension of existing services,
• first ever Sunday service for Whifflet,
• more services stopping at Newton and Cambuslang,
• new peak service between Glasgow, Motherwell and Carstairs.

Transport Minister Keith Brown said:

“Scotland’s railways are more popular than ever, with almost 90 million journeys taken last year.

“The Scottish Government continues to invest heavily in our railways and do all we can to see this trend carry on.

“The new timetable means passengers will be able to take advantage of even more services to their places of work, study and leisure.

“It includes the introduction of what will become the Borders Railway timetable, including a seamless transition for existing passengers on the route, and comes on the back of the Aberdeen and Inverurie timetable enhancements launched in the summer, showing we’re improving rail links the length and breadth of Scotland.”

The timetable, which comes into effect on December 14, is now available for booking on the ScotRail website.

First ScotRail Managing Director Steve Montgomery said:

“The new timetable, which features significant enhancements, reflects all the good work we are doing for Scotland's railway and the partnership approach to investment across our network.

“It also comes as record numbers of people are travelling by train and we believe that the benefits which this timetable delivers will encourage even more people to regularly use our services.”

Robert Samson, Passenger Focus manager, said:

“Our recent passenger priorities research told us that passengers really want to get a seat on train services that are more frequent and have better journey times.

“These timetable enhancements will help deliver those priorities.”