I have written to the Managing Director of ScotRail and submitted a parliamentary question to the Scottish Government condemning the growing levels of poor service experienced by passengers using the Fife Circle route.
I highlighted comments from local people online about the extent of overcrowding, cancellations and general poor service.
In the letter I sent to the Managing Director, I quoted several comments from angry customers.
One comment from a passenger stated:
“The 7.26 from inverkeithing was cancelled…. again. Almost never runs to timetable, regularly runs with reduced carriages and yet Scotrail and the Scottish Government claim that the services are improving. They are clearly getting worse and we can expect yet another fare increase in January.”
Another said:
“Never mind packed, try dark and cold! The 7:12 from Inverkeithing, which is the 7:09 from Dalgety Bay was delayed and when it appeared the 4th carriage was pitch black and freezing! Money well spent on an annual ticket, not!”
Further angry customers were evident on the official Facebook page of Scotrail:
“3 trains cancelled from Rosyth to Edinburgh between 1208 and 1336. I was under the impression there was going to be extra carriages to cope with the demand on the Fife circle. Not cancellations! The service you provide is beyond appalling. If this was any other company somebody would be accountable for the inadequate service. Scotrail seems to think an apology cuts it. It doesn’t!”
“Can we get an explanation for the week of cancellations? BOTH final trains to Fife and beyond cancelled hours in advance? Refusing to pay out via delay repay? Claiming no delays when trains have been CANCELLED? You need your franchise revoked immediately. Not fit for purpose. I suppose you will ignore this complaint like all my others this week. I can no longer rely on trains as a method of transport and will have to start using the bus.”
It is evident to most people using ScotRail services in Fife and indeed elsewhere, that the extent of overcrowding is at unacceptable levels, on top of this the actual service they receive is increasingly poor. Passengers are paying expensive fares without even such a basic requirement as a seat on their commute. Instead people are standing crowded together in uncomfortable conditions for the duration of their journey, surely this is unacceptable?
I am asking ScotRail and the Scottish Government what actions are being taken to address the problems of overcrowding on the Fife Circle? Also what actions are being taken to reduce the number of cancellations that people are experiencing? And more generally what is ScotRail doing to improve the service experienced by customers using ScotRail services? Because this is starting to become a farce.”
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ENDS
