The SNP-Green government is 'taking people in Inverness for granted' amid ScotRail chaos as Highland LibDem leader Alasdair Christie says locals are being charged more for far worse services
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The SNP-Green government is “taking people in Inverness for granted” according to Highland Liberal Democrats who say the temporary railway timetable “decimated” the number of services.
Not only that but the leader of the opposition LibDems in Highland Council Alasdair Christie said locals are being charged four per cent more for tickets for the privilege.
Scotrail introduced the new timetable due to a shortage of drivers amid an ongoing pay dispute but yesterday talks between the rail operator and the Aslef union led to an improved pay offer of 4.2 per cent which will go to members.
That temporary timetable came into effect on Monday and means the last train between Inverness and Glasgow or Edinburgh has been moved from 20:23 to 18:53 while the last service north is now about an hour earlier.
North of Inverness the situation is even worse with more than 50 per cent of services cut after Scotrail said it did not have time to analyse the local impact of the cuts before introducing the changes.
Cllr Christie said: "These cuts to ScotRail are having a massive impact on local residents in Inverness.
“Despite having two years to plan for this nationalisation, the promise of a stronger greener rail network is in tatters just 47 days after the SNP/Green Government took over.
"This is the single biggest cut to public transport for a generation and it’s going to cause local people in Inverness no end of problems.
"Passengers are losing almost 700 services a day, evening trains are evaporating and the SNP-Green Government has put fares up four for the privilege. They are taking people in Inverness for granted.
"Scottish Liberal Democrats want to see a public transport system that works for all communities, for all ages, and for the climate.
“Instead of savage cuts, we want to see railcard discounts made available to everyone, two to three day season tickets to meet the needs of hybrid working and the opening up of new lines, particularly in areas where public transport links are poor."
David Simpson, ScotRail Service Delivery Director, said: “We’re sorry to our customers for the disruption they are facing as a result of the reduction in services, and we share their frustration.
“We’re keen to resolve the dispute as soon as possible and the timetable will operate for as long as it needs to in order to provide a more dependable service.
“There will be a review of the timetable and if we’re able to return it back to normal, or make improvements, we’ll make sure we advise customers through our usual channels, the website, our mobile app, and social media.”
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