Issued by Transport Scotland

Transport Minister, Derek Mackay, today announced a “revolution in rail” in Scotland, which will deliver the largest programme of benefits to rail passengers seen in a generation.

ScotRail will introduce 200 new services, providing 20,000 more seats per day, with passengers across Tayside, Stirlingshire, Perthshire, Aberdeenshire and the Borders set to feel the benefits.

This represents a significant enhancement to ScotRail’s current timetable, which currently runs 2,300 services per day.

Timetable improvements are made possible by the decision by the Scottish Government to retain 13 additional Class 170 diesel trains (39 additional carriages) beyond the terms of their current leases, which were due to end on 2018. These extra trains create the capacity to make timetable service improvements – with input supplied by local stakeholders to finalise the best fit to local priorities.

More rolling stock will allow ScotRail to run more frequent services both for commuters and city to city passengers, whilst the increased flexibility it offers result in significant time savings on popular routes.

From 2018 there will be more services confirmed for Tayside, Stirlingshire, Perthsire Aberdeenshire. There will also be increased peak capacity across Fife and the Borders, relieving some of the pressure on commuter services, along with more commuter options linking local towns between Glasgow and Edinburgh via Cumbernauld and Falkirk.

Transport Minister, Derek Mackay, said: “We have initiated a revolution in rail services across Scotland; from 2018 passengers will benefit from more seats, more services and faster journey times as a direct result of the increased funding that we are putting into the rail network in Scotland.

“The retention of these units will complement the arrival of our new High Speed Trains, which will allow for new and improved intercity connections. They will also make our rail network more resilient, creating opportunities to run faster services on key commuter routes and offering better connectivity for regional areas.

“This funding is in addition to the £475m investment in Scotland’s rolling stock over the lifetime of the franchise, meaning Scotland’s rail passengers have never been better served, both in terms of the quality of the trains they travel on, and the number of services running on the network.”

Phil Verster, Managing Director of Abellio ScotRail said: “This is a really significant moment in our mission to transform Scotland’s railway. In three years time, the service that we provide to our customers will be unrecognisable. Our new electric fleet will be running between Glasgow and Edinburgh, our High Speed trains will be linking our seven cities and, thanks to this announcement today, we will have hundreds more services and thousands more seats available to customers across Scotland – particularly in Aberdeen, the North East and Fife.

“I really cannot overstate just how big a change to our service that this announcement represents. This is not a slight amendment to the way we do business, it is a fundamental change. These new trains will allow us to completely recast our timetables, meaning more regular, local services combined with a high speed intercity offering.

“This transformation means that we can set about delivering on our vision of a railway that connects people with jobs, businesses with customers and communities with the opportunity to grow and prosper. A railway that delivers for Scotland – not just because of what it is, but because of what it allows our country to do.”

Dominic Booth, Managing Director of Abellio UK, said: “First and foremost today’s major announcement is about delivering for our customers. This investment gets to the heart and soul of how we are working together with Scottish Government to deliver improvements that will see ScotRail powering increased and sustainable economic growth for Scotland as well as delivering benefits for city regions and communities. This is the best railway in the UK and it is getting better".

The improvements have been designed following an early consultation led by ScotRail with input from regional transport partnerships, an arrangement that will continue as plans are progressed.

Key benefits:

Inverness:

Hourly service to Nairn, Forres and Elgin

Hourly service alternating between Edinburgh and Glasgow with limited-stop services running south of Perth. Average journey time will be at least 10 minutes shorter than now

Two hourly Glasgow / Inverness service and an Edinburgh / Inverness services.

Aberdeen:

Hourly ‘local’ service across the city between Inverurie Montrose, stopping at all stations.

Additional services to the above to create a half hourly service between Aberdeen and Inverurie. Additional early morning and late evening services to Elgin, Keith, Huntly and Insch

Hourly limited stop High Speed Train service to both Edinburgh and Glasgow

Many High Speed trains running from Glasgow or Edinburgh will be extended through to Inverness

Dundee:

Hourly service to Broughty Ferry, Monifieth, Carnoustie and Arbroath

Half hourly service to Perth, Stirling and Glasgow – one limited stop High Speed Train and one regional service

Continuation of existing half hourly service to Edinburgh - one limited stop High Speed Train and one regional service

Perth:

Hourly service to Inverness from Edinburgh in one hour, from Glasgow in the other hour);

Minimum of an hourly service to Glasgow and Edinburgh (mix of limited stop High Speed Train and one regional service)

New regional Glasgow – Dundee service provides an hourly service between Glasgow and Stirling, Bridge of Allan, Dunblane, Glaneagles, Perth and Invergowrie.

Edinburgh:

New standard ‘all day’ timetable to stations in Fife operated by 3-coach class 170 trains

New through service each hour between Borders railway and Fife. Borders railway primarily operated by 3-coach class 170 trains (X% more seats per train)

New half hourly service to Glasgow via Cumbernauld, Stepps and Gartcosh

Current half hourly service to Stirling and Dunblane becomes limited stop rather than all stations, reducing journey times by around 10 minutes

Glasgow:

Four trains per hour service to Cumbernauld with two operating via Falkirk Grahamston through to Edinburgh

Hourly service to Dundee reducing journey times to Stirling, Bridge of Allan and Dunblane

Stirling:

Quicker journeys to / from Glasgow & Edinburgh

A new hourly service connecting Stirling with more trains to Glasgow, Dundee and Gleneagles.

Borders:

Typically 20% more seats on majority of services to Midlothian and the Borders.

Direct hourly connection between Borders Railway and stations in west Edinburgh.

Additional quotes

The Scottish Association for Public Transport (SAPT) welcomed the announcement of additional ScotRail train services and extra seats from 2018. Faster limited stop InterCity trains will benefit business and leisure travel, while the introduction of new regional train services will vastly improve connectivity at intermediate stations.

Dr. John McCormick, SAPT Chairman, said: "Our Association has long advocated fast, regular interval train services throughout the Scottish rail network. The new timetables to be introduced by Abellio ScotRail will achieve this, and are a major step towards giving Scotland a world-class rail system."

Ross Martin, Chief Executive of SCDI, said: “At the time of this contract being let, SCDI pressed for greater connectivity across the network underpinning a realisation of the differentiated needs of key groups of passengers (e.g. InterCity, Commuter and Leisure) who use Scotland's railways. These enhancements to services are another step in the right direction, shifting the focus more clearly towards the role of the rail network in 'driving economic growth', the central focus of the SCDI membership, and we therefore warmly welcome them".