LESS THAN HALF of all trains arriving or departing Elgin station do so on time – and that is unacceptable, according to a regional MSP.
Labour’s David Stewart MSP is demanding action following official figures from ScotRail that show only 42.5% of trains into the Moray station are on time.
Elgin is on the third of all Scottish rail routes where services are later more often than not – and one of 25 on the network that are performing below the 50% punctuality mark.
In separate data, the Scottish Government cap on rush hour rail fares increased by over 23% between 2011 and 2015 – while average weekly earnings rose by just 6.8%, meaning that regulated fares have now risen four times faster than earnings.
The data from the dossier – “Scotfail: How the SNP took our trains off track” – has been published by Scottish Labour – and David Stewart is demanding action from the SNP Transport Minister to tackle delays and improve the reliability of services for people in the North and Moray.
The MSP said: “Most passengers accept that there are times when disruption can’t be avoided but the people of Elgin for example and the other stations across Moray shouldn’t have to put up with services that arrive late more often than they arrive on time.
“The fact that only 42% of trains into Elgin are arriving on time is unacceptable. The SNP Transport Minister needs to get a grip of what is happening on our railways and explain exactly what will be done to tackle delays and improve reliability.
“The reality is that while passengers are continuing to pay more for a shocking service, Abellio has made £1million-a-month profit from their franchise agreement with the SNP Government.
“The current set-up can’t possibly provide value for money for passengers in Scotland. That’s why Scottish Labour supports a publicly owned People’s ScotRail which would mean a better deal for commuters and put passengers before private profits.”
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