Scottish Conservative MSPs give ‘cautious welcome’ to ScotRail re-think on new train timetables

Murdo Fraser MSP

Scottish Conservatives MSPs Murdo Fraser and Liz Smith have given a “cautious welcome” to a re-think by ScotRail on proposed rail timetable changes, stating they would like to see more information on them.

The politicians, who both represent the Mid Scotland and Fife region, were reacting to the announcement from the company which said that there will be a direct rail service operating all day between Perth and Kirkcaldy, rather than going via Dunfermline as had been proposed by ScotRail.

ScotRail have said that they will operate around 2,150 daily services from May this year, including the direct service between Perth and Kirkcaldy and that they will also operate more services during the evenings in Fife.

Commenting, Mr Fraser said: “I would give this news from ScotRail a cautious welcome. It is a great relief to know that there will be a direct service between Perth and Kirkcaldy, as the planned changed route to travel via Dunfermline would have added at least 10 minutes to the journey.

“I’m also pleased to hear that they plan to roll out more trains in the evening in Fife – this is something many of my constituents have been calling for.

“However, although ScotRail have said there will now be a ‘better spaced’ interval between services between Perth and Inverness, we need more detail on this as this is an issue which still causes concern, with the possibility of some passengers missing follow-on trains when changing at the likes of Perth or Stirling. And we need more information on how many rail services will be provided on a daily basis between Perth and Kirkcaldy.”

And Liz Smith added: “This is a welcome re-think from ScotRail on some of their proposed timetable changes, including there being a direct service operating all day between Perth and Kirkcaldy. However, I feel there is still some way to go to satisfy public concerns over the proposed changes.

“I would imagine that the re-think was down to responses from the public in the consultation that was held and also the concerns raised with ScotRail by myself and Mr Fraser. We will be seeking clarification from ScotRail on all the services that affect our constituents.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Murdo Fraser MSP

Murdo Fraser

Murdo Fraser was born in Inverness and studied law at Aberdeen University before practicing as a solicitor in Edinburgh. In the 1999 Scottish Parliament Election, Murdo stood as the Conservative candidate for North Tayside, and fought the constituency again at the 2001 General Election. He became a Member of the Scottish Parliament in August 2001 following the resignation of the previous List Member for Mid-Scotland and Fife, and was re-elected in 2003, 2007, 2011, 2016 and 2021. Murdo was Deputy Leader of the Scottish Conservatives from November 2005 to November 2011 and has served as spokesman on Education, Health, Economy and Finance. Murdo was delighted to be re-elected in 2021 and is now Shadow Cabinet Secretary for Business, Economic Growth and Tourism. 
Liz Smith

Liz Smith

Liz Smith was first elected to the Scottish Parliament in 2007 and was re-elected in 2011, 2016 and in 2021. She is one of four Conservative Regional Members for Mid Scotland and Fife. Following her long-serving role as Shadow Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills, she became Chief Whip in February 2020. Following the 2021 election, Liz took over the role of Shadow Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Economy, now serving as Shadow Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Public Administration, and chairs two cross party committees: those on Colleges and Universities, and Sport.