Railwatch 079 - April 1999

Scotland

By David Hansen

EWS successes Road lobby myths are being slayed by EWS. Myth one: Railways cannot provide the quality of service demanded by supermarkets. EWS is now taking a variety goods from Glasgow to Inverness, where they are forwarded to stores by lorry. Myth two: Rail freight is fine for long distances, but it will never be a competitor for journeys under about 200 miles. Rubbish from Edinburgh has been taken to Dunbar for many years now. This is slightly more expensive in cash terms than by lorry, but the council accepts the real-world cost of rail freight was lower. If there was a level playing field this success could be replicated.

Virgin plans Shaking off the impression that it would be faster by balloon, Virgin is promising great things for long-distance passengers in a few years time. The plans include a complete recasting of the NE/SW service when all the new trains are in place. This includes regular hourly services from Edinburgh to Newcastle and an even higher frequency south of Newcastle. Let's hope that Railtrack can provide enough paths for these trains, ScotRail trains, those GNER wish to run and the extra freight services EWS wants to run. GNER is holding off announcing too many plans due to the question of a franchise extension.

ScotRail plans The class 170 trains are to be introduced in 1999, six months early. They will run largely on the Edinburgh-Glasgow route, displacing class 158 trains to other routes. The cascade will allow the last museum-piece trains to be put to sleep. Whether the class 158 is ideal for Fife commuter services is a matter of debate. We are assured that ScotRail has not made the same mistake with the seating as Midland Main Line. This is something we will check up on. We are also told that the class 170 will accelerate so quickly that electrification will not be necessary. Time will tell. Railtrack is not saying much at the time of writing. It has just completed its Network Management Statement for Scotland but has not yet gone fully public. However, the train operators have all announced ambitious expansions of services. EWS plans to treble the amount of rail freight, with longer trains. This must mean at least roughly doubling the number of freight train paths. We await with interest how Railtrack is going to respond.

Highland rail The rail partnerships in the Highlands are continuing to do good work. Using the train as a classroom has been a great success and a number of freight loads have been won. However, given that Government is again talking of bustitution, there must still be concern over the long-term future of some remote Highland lines as all-year passenger services. The Scottish Office is still busy undermining these rail services with dramatic improvements to the competing roads, while comparatively little is done to the rail routes.

RAGES Rail Action Group East of Scotland has been formed to campaign for better services to Dunbar, including the longer- term possibility of a station at East Linton. They will shortly be holding an initial public meeting with which we wish them every success.

Waverley route Labour closed it in 1969 but New Labour is now spending money on a study into opening some or all of the line again. This was announced by ministers in response to yet more job losses in the borders. Interestingly Virgin, rather than ScotRail, is involved in the study. Is Virgin publicity-seeking, over-ambitious or forward-looking? Is ScotRail being realistic or stick in the mud?

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