CRAIG Hoy, a Conservative MSP for South Scotland, has described the Scottish Government as “short-sighted” for having no plans to increase rail provision between North Berwick and Edinburgh.
This follows reports by commuters on early morning services from North Berwick to Edinburgh that there are often too few carriages, meaning they are often full, with commuters from East Lothian are unable to secure a seat or, in some instances, board the train.
Mr Hoy asked the Scottish Government: “what plans it has to improve train line between North Berwick and Edinburgh to (a) reduce journey times, (b) increase the number of daily services and (c) improve reliability.”
In response to Mr Hoy’s question, Scotland’s Transport Minister Fiona Hyslop MSP said: “The only obvious way to improve times would be to remove existing calls at intermediate stations and this is not currently being considered due to the adverse impact it would have on these communities.
“The current service levels are based on projected demand which is regularly reviewed. Based on the projected demand, there are currently no plans to increase the number of daily services on this route.
“The performance of trains on the North Berwick to Edinburgh route is currently very good at 92.4% PPM, which is markedly better than the GB average.”
Craig Hoy MSP commented: “The Scottish Government’s failure to increase service provision between North Berwick and Edinburgh during peak services is short-sighted and leaves many commuters from East Lothian without a seat on their morning commute to work.
"East Lothian is Scotland’s second-fastest growing area, and the rising number of newly built houses in East Lothian must be accompanied by adequate rail services so that residents of the county are not disadvantaged by the Scottish Government’s focus on house building in the county.”
