Inverness Chamber of Commerce head hits out at ScotRail over lack of investment on journeys on the Highland Main Line, Kyle Line and Far North Line
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RAIL services to Inverness and the north of Scotland are proving to be a “nightmare before Christmas”, a prominent business leader has said.
Stewart Nicol, of Inverness Chamber of Commerce, said he was increasingly concerned about the lack of investment for train journeys to the city and further north.
Claiming the Scottish Government had failed to keep promises on the introduction of new rolling stock, reducing rail times and extending platforms, Mr Nicol said people were set for even more frustrating journeys.
Mr Nicol made the comments in light of a report in The Courier last week revealing plans to cancel all seat bookings on intercity services to and from Inverness from December 15.
Planned upgrades for the Highland mainline have been delayed since March, and are not due until May 2020.
Mr Nicol said: “ScotRail is making grand announcements about improvements to every part of the network, yet there is no mention of Inverness or the Highland Main Line, never mind anything further north or west, in the new timetable.
“We were expecting marginal journey time reductions of around ten minutes and service frequency enhancements but even these are not being delivered.
“I appreciate ScotRail is having difficulties with the delivery of new trains, but we are being left behind while other parts of Scotland are getting faster, better trains and improved services.
He added: “The ongoing situation is unacceptable. We are hearing daily accounts of chronic overcrowding on services to and from Inverness. The decision to not allow reservations will further add to the chaos and is another slap in the face for rail passengers travelling to and from the north.
“At this time of year services will only get busier and therefore the problem will be exacerbated. Instead of modest improvements to our rail services by Christmas, we are bracing ourselves for more delayed, overcrowded, frustrating and uncomfortable nightmare journeys.”
However, a ScotRail spokesperson said investment was on its way, albeit delayed: “It’s no secret that our suppliers have let us down on the delivery of our high-speed Inter7City trains. We’re working with them to get these trains delivered and in passenger service as soon as possible.
“When our full fleet of Inter7City trains are available, our customers will benefit from improved journey times on intercity routes like the Highland mainline, and offer significantly more capacity compared to the start of the franchise.”
