ScotRail reaches another milestone with timetable improvements
Timetable improvements to be introduced from December will see ScotRail reach another milestone as it builds the best railway Scotland has ever had, the operator said today.
Announcing the changes to its timetable from 9 December 2018, ScotRail said it will deliver faster journeys, more seats, and more services for its customers.
The introduction of high-speed trains and brand-new class 385 electric trains, as well as major infrastructure improvements like the electrification of the Stirling-Dunblane-Alloa route, will enable the delivery of the enhanced timetable.
Some of the key changes include:
Faster journeys
- Fastest journey time between Edinburgh Waverley and Glasgow Queen Street of 42 minutes.
- Journey times on services from Stirling to Edinburgh will be reduced by more than five minutes.
- Rail journeys in key locations will now be considerably faster than car journeys.
- Journey times on key Glasgow – Stirling / Dunblane / Alloa services will be reduced by up to five minutes.
More services
- New half hourly service between Edinburgh Waverley and Glasgow Queen Street High Level (via Cumbernauld and Falkirk Grahamston) using brand new electric class 385 trains.
- New hourly service between Dundee and Arbroath, providing close to an hourly local service for Broughty Ferry, Monifieth, and Carnoustie.
- New hourly between Aberdeen and Montrose, providing a minimum of an hourly service at Laurencekirk, Stonehaven, and Portlethen.
- Nine additional services between Inverness and Elgin, giving close to an hourly all-day service for Nairn, Forres and Elgin.
More seats
- Class 385 electric trains on all Edinburgh-Glasgow via Falkirk High services.
- Class 385 electric trains introduced on Glasgow Queen Street to Alloa and Dunblane services.
- Class 365 electric trains on Edinburgh to Dunblane services.
- Half of North Berwick to Edinburgh services will have 6 carriages.
- Glasgow Central to Neilston services increased from 3 to 4 carriages.
- More peak services between Airdie and Balloch with 6 carriages.
- More 3 carriage trains between Edinburgh and Tweedbank.
Further timetable improvements will be delivered in May and December 2019.
ScotRail Alliance Managing Director Alex Hynes said:
“The improvements we are making to our timetable from December mean ScotRail has reached another milestone as we build the best railway Scotland has ever had. This is just the first phase of the work we are doing to deliver for our customers over the next year.
“The investment the ScotRail Alliance is making to electrify more lines and introduce new and upgraded trains means we will deliver faster journeys, more seats, and more services for our customers.”
Michael Matheson, Cabinet Secretary for Transport, Infrastructure and Connectivity said:
“These changes mark the first significant phase of timetable improvements on Scotland’s railways with £475 million being invested in rolling stock during this franchise, introducing faster, longer, greener trains.
“The amendments will see more of the existing refurbished fleets cascaded across the country meaning better trains, more seats and more services, delivering an improved experience for passengers.”
Regional fact sheets
- New hourly service between Dundee and Arbroath
- Arbroath now a critical transport interchange
- Daily services at Broughty Ferry increasing from 16 to 36
- Daily services at Monifieth increase from 7 to 28
- Daily services at Carnoustie increase from 34 to 45
- Daily services at Arbroath increase from 61 to 90
- Regular service provides opportunity for better integration with local bus services
- More than 4,000 additional seats each day introduced into this corridor
- First phase of new service linking the local communities with 4 of the 7 cities
- New hourly local service between Montrose and Aberdeen calling at Laurencekirk, Stonehaven and Portlethen
- Daily services at Montrose increase from 52 to 91
- Daily services at Laurencekirk increase from 24 to 40
- Daily services at Stonehaven increase from 50 to 71
- Daily services at Portlethen increase from 20 to 41
- Montrose now a key interchange station
- More than 5,000 additional seats each day introduced into this corridor
- Regular service provides opportunity for better integration with local bus services
- First phase of new Aberdeen cross rail service which will run to Inverurie by end of 2019
- Nine additional services providing close to hourly service for much of the day
- More than 1,500 additional seats each day, providing 60 per cent more capacity
- Regular service provides platform for better integration with local bus services
- Journey times of around 40 minutes between Elgin and Inverness is considerably faster than car
- Regular trains provide better integration with bus services and opportunity to build on existing bus links, for example between Elgin and Lossiemouth
- Service between Falkirk Grahamston and Edinburgh increases from 2 to 4 trains an hour for most of the day, providing a level of train service comparable to Falkirk High for commuting and leisure travel to Edinburgh, including Edinburgh Park.
- More than 11,000 additional seats each day between Falkirk Grahamston and Edinburgh
- Service between Glasgow and Falkirk Grahamston increases from hourly to half hourly with 45 minute journey time
- All services formed of modern class 385 electric trains – quieter and greater comfort
- More than 7,000 additional seats each day between Falkirk Grahamston and Glasgow
- Improved seats for customers travelling from Polmont and Linlithgow to Edinburgh
- These improvements will support Falkirk town centre regeneration as Falkirk Grahamston is easier to access for Bainsford, Grangemouth, Middlefield areas, with plenty of car parking at the station
- Cumbernauld route now has direct trains to Edinburgh and Glasgow – Ideal for those living within active travel distance from Cumbernauld, Greenfaulds, Stepps and Gartcosh, with no need to drive to Croy
- Service between Glasgow and Cumbernauld reverts to half hourly service via Glasgow Queen Street High Level with average journey time of less than 30 minutes.
- Connection to Queen Street Low Level service at Springburn
All services formed of new class 385s, with fastest journey times of 42 minutes.
- More than 3,500 additional seats each day between Glasgow and Stirling
- Services operated by class 385s will benefit from journey times savings of up to five minutes
- Longer, faster, greener trains
- Peak services formed of 4 carriage trains
- More than 4,000 additional seats provided each day
- The journey time from Stirling to Edinburgh reduced by more than 5 minutes
- When combined with new Glasgow-Edinburgh via Cumbernauld and Falkirk Grahamston service, number of seats on corridor has doubled – increase of 15,000 seats per day compared to today
- Now faster to take train than drive between Stirling area and Edinburgh throughout the day
- Half of North Berwick to Edinburgh services will have 6 carriages
- 07:55 from North Berwick to Edinburgh will now have 6 carriages
- 08:07 from Prestonpans to Edinburgh will now have 4 carriages
- 17:43 from Haymarket to North Berwick will now have 6 carriages
- More than 1,500 additional seats each day between North Berwick and Edinburgh