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ScottR96

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I’ve had to get the train to work today. A peak time day return to Glasgow is £31.50. THIRTY ONE FIFTY. Outrageous. My railcard took some of the hit but still that is a joke. Then I get on this “peak” train and it’s empty. It’s fucking empty.

I think it’s criminal that it costs over 30 quid for 1 hour train journey. That’s around 3-4 hours of your average workers daily wage. Disgraceful.

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I got handed a ticket this morning when I was coming out of Haymarket, it was Scottish Labour claiming they'd sort of Scotland's "rail crisis" under the SNP.

I commute everyday using trains and it's extremely rare that my journeys are anything but problem free.

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Scotrail service from Edinburgh to Inverness on Saturday morning was standing room only from Waverley. Completely stowed out going through Fife with long delays as people tried to cram on. Refreshments trolley didn't get through at all for the vast majority of the near 4 hour journey. Toilet was blocked from Perth as well which went down well.

Coming back on Sunday night a much quieter service but no refreshment trolley as it couldn't get up on the northbound service due to severe overcrowding.

This happens every summer, trains rammed with tourists heading to the Highlands jamming the place up with huge f**k off cases. Scotrail keep saying they're getting new trains in 6 - 12 months but I'm not sure why they don't procure more trains, at least on a temporary basis, like they have done recently on the Edinburgh to Glasgow line. It's been a good few years now of a shambolic service during the peak tourist season and they don't seem to have any desire to do anything about it.

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7 hours ago, RiG said:

Scotrail keep saying they're getting new trains in 6 - 12 months but I'm not sure why they don't procure more trains, at least on a temporary basis, like they have done recently on the Edinburgh to Glasgow line. It's been a good few years now of a shambolic service during the peak tourist season and they don't seem to have any desire to do anything about it.

There are literally no more diesel trains available in the whole of Great Britain. The "new" trains going to Aberdeen and Inverness will be refurbished HSTs from GWR, but they are taking their sweet time in the Wabtec works.

The Edinburgh to Glasgow (class 365) trains they've just put into service are surplus electric trains from London  Once the new electric (class 385) trains - which have been delayed due to a windscreen issue - are up and running soon, the diesel E-G trains can move to other lines (e.g. Fife, Borders). Or go down to England (Northern) - which is why the 365s were introduced, as Scotrail are going to lose diesel trains in July.

The rolling stock leases were negotiated by Transport Scotland, and they also set the franchise conditions - so really it's the government who could put in the contract that more trains are required.

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There are literally no more diesel trains available in the whole of Great Britain. The "new" trains going to Aberdeen and Inverness will be refurbished HSTs from GWR, but they are taking their sweet time in the Wabtec works.
The Edinburgh to Glasgow (class 365) trains they've just put into service are surplus electric trains from London  Once the new electric (class 385) trains - which have been delayed due to a windscreen issue - are up and running soon, the diesel E-G trains can move to other lines (e.g. Fife, Borders). Or go down to England (Northern) - which is why the 365s were introduced, as Scotrail are going to lose diesel trains in July.
The rolling stock leases were negotiated by Transport Scotland, and they also set the franchise conditions - so really it's the government who could put in the contract that more trains are required.
Plenty of locomotives and coaching stock lying about, see what they did in the Windimere branch. Unfortunately ScotRail no longer train staff in how to couple up and uncouple, and generally run a railway the traditional way instead of everything being units
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Scotrail service from Edinburgh to Inverness on Saturday morning was standing room only from Waverley. Completely stowed out going through Fife with long delays as people tried to cram on. Refreshments trolley didn't get through at all for the vast majority of the near 4 hour journey. Toilet was blocked from Perth as well which went down well.

Coming back on Sunday night a much quieter service but no refreshment trolley as it couldn't get up on the northbound service due to severe overcrowding.

This happens every summer, trains rammed with tourists heading to the Highlands jamming the place up with huge f**k off cases. Scotrail keep saying they're getting new trains in 6 - 12 months but I'm not sure why they don't procure more trains, at least on a temporary basis, like they have done recently on the Edinburgh to Glasgow line. It's been a good few years now of a shambolic service during the peak tourist season and they don't seem to have any desire to do anything about it.


The last off-peak train North from Edinburgh is the 4.33 train to Perth. It’s got two carriages and has been overcrowded most days for the 9 years I’ve occasionally caught it. I’ve written to MSPs three times about it. Each time they just fire the complaint on to Transport Scotland who tell me it’s up to Scotrail, or rather whichever mob are running Scotrail to sort this stuff out. All it needs is one extra coach. They can’t even sort that out. It’s a complete and utter dereliction of duty by the Scottish Government.
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Update on my post from yesterday: this morning the gate at Perth was open so I got on the train without a ticket (I remembered that the day before there was no conductor.) It was a gamble but I made it to Glasgow where I told them I got on at Lenzie. £3.40 for the ticket to get through the Glasgow gates and a tenner to get home tonight - thus saving myself over a fiver.

 

So in short, I beat Scotrail today and they can get it right up them. It’s not my fault that a) the gate was open at Perth and b) there was no conductor on the train. If they want to charge astronomical prices to travel then I’ll take advantage of their mistakes.

 

 

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The Perth to Inverness route must be the most frustrating one going. I know it's not easy to add more trains, but the first from Perth North leaves at 5.08 and gets in at about ten to eight - far too early for getting into a work place - but the next one doesn't leave Perth until 8.10 and doesn't get in til about half ten - far too late for getting into a work place if you're only there for a day. My missus either has to stay over the night before or get the super early train and sit in Costa Coffee for a few hours when she has to go to the Inverness office. What's even more annoying is that there IS a train in between those two trains, but it's the Caledonian Sleeper which sets down only and doesn't pick up (even though there is a seated carriage which will almost always have spare seats).

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11 minutes ago, Salvo Montalbano said:

The Perth to Inverness route must be the most frustrating one going. I know it's not easy to add more trains, but the first from Perth North leaves at 5.08 and gets in at about ten to eight - far too early for getting into a work place - but the next one doesn't leave Perth until 8.10 and doesn't get in til about half ten - far too late for getting into a work place if you're only there for a day. My missus either has to stay over the night before or get the super early train and sit in Costa Coffee for a few hours when she has to go to the Inverness office. What's even more annoying is that there IS a train in between those two trains, but it's the Caledonian Sleeper which sets down only and doesn't pick up (even though there is a seated carriage which will almost always have spare seats).

There are some upgrades coming to the Highland Mainline to enable a new timetable - there's a draft version here: http://www.tactran.gov.uk/documents/4GSSPHMLProjectandTimetableDev.pdf

Of course the works aren't nearly enough, there needs to be more double track sections to increase capacity.

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8 hours ago, jamamafegan said:

Update on my post from yesterday: this morning the gate at Perth was open so I got on the train without a ticket (I remembered that the day before there was no conductor.) It was a gamble but I made it to Glasgow where I told them I got on at Lenzie. £3.40 for the ticket to get through the Glasgow gates and a tenner to get home tonight - thus saving myself over a fiver.

 

So in short, I beat Scotrail today and they can get it right up them. It’s not my fault that a) the gate was open at Perth and b) there was no conductor on the train. If they want to charge astronomical prices to travel then I’ll take advantage of their mistakes.

 

 

Jooking the train always deserves a greenie.

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There are some upgrades coming to the Highland Mainline to enable a new timetable - there's a draft version here: http://www.tactran.gov.uk/documents/4GSSPHMLProjectandTimetableDev.pdf
Of course the works aren't nearly enough, there needs to be more double track sections to increase capacity.
Still a huge gap in the morning though sadly. They could easily add a pick up at Perth on the sleeper if they can't add in any more services between 5 and 8.
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  • 4 weeks later...

I see Scotrail started running the new Class 385 trains today. There was a wee test run for rich folk who got a nice wee goodie bag, cakes and other bits and pieces. Nothing for customers today though.

ETA: As for the rest of us...

 

 

Edited by RiG
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1 hour ago, RiG said:

I see Scotrail started running the new Class 385 trains today. There was a wee test run for rich folk who got a nice wee goodie bag, cakes and other bits and pieces. Nothing for customers today though.

ETA: As for the rest of us...

 

 

You'd have thought Richard Stilgoe  could have afforded first-class?

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