15 December 2008
Welcome for improved rail services
Transform Scotland today welcomed the enhancement to a number of rail services following the introduction of the new December timetable.
Paul Tetlaw, Chair of Transform Scotland, said:
"It is heartening to see significant improvements to rail services both within Scotland and on key routes to England. In particular we welcome the faster services from the Central Belt to Aberdeen and the improved frequency from Edinburgh to Perth. This should now signal the start of a step-change in the number and speed of services provided to both Aberdeen and Inverness, coupled with electrification on these routes. This is the type of response we need to see to the challenges of oil depletion and climate change.
"For routes to the south the new high frequency West Coast services should herald the start of a real modal shift from air to rail on the London route. At the same time we see the number of direct trains from Edinburgh to Manchester increasing from four to six a day and this is another route where we hope to see a significant switch from both car and plane to the more sustainable rail option.
"All in all good this represents real progress but we need to see much more of the same from Governments both north and south of the border."