Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Daily Record
Daily Record
Politics
Andy Philip

Nicola Sturgeon bombarded with emails from angry ScotRail passengers over failings

Fed-up passengers have taken their complaints about under-fire ScotRail straight to the First Minister.

More than 80 emails were released by the Government showing the level of anger at delays, overcrowding and cancellations.

One pensioner, who supports the SNP , said he feared for his health after being stranded on platforms in poor weather while trains failed to turn up.

He was close to paying £75 for a taxi when an unexpected train “rolled through the mist as if by miracle”.

Transport Secretary Michael Matheson was also bombarded with emails (PA)

Pregnant woman falls ill on overcrowded ScotRail train  

His letter added: “Divine  intervention is no way to run to a rail service.”

The complaints, made over two months, emerged as latest figures showed the train operator’s
performance is still below target.

The most recent annual average fell to 87.4 per cent, below a breach level of 87.56 per cent and short of the 92.5 per cent target set out in the contract, held by parent company Abellio.

Labour transport spokesman Colin Smyth said: “Thousands of people are being let down every day.

“Despite promises of improvement from ScotRail and the Transport Secretary, things are getting worse.”

Tories also criticised ongoing concerns with train services, obtaining 83 emails sent by passengers to Sturgeon and Transport Secretary Michael Matheson.

One irate passenger said ScotRail “abandoned” his wife and hundreds of commuters at Dalmuir, in Clydebank, by failing to provide alternative transport after cancellations.

“The weather felt like -15C at the time,” he said.

Other letters raised concern at the impact on employment, with commuters frequently having to blame ScotRail for being late to work.

Scots Tory transport spokesman Jamie Greene said: “Commuters are regularly subjected to late, cancelled and overcrowded trains at an extremely high financial and personal cost.

“It is astonishing that the SNP Government is still failing to ensure that travellers receive a decent service. Despite these letters and the myriad reports of ScotRail failing to reach its targets, Nicola Sturgeon’s Government has done nothing to improve train travel in Scotland.”

Toilet charges scrapped at Edinburgh Waverley station

A ScotRail spokesman said: “This has been a challenging time for Scotland’s railway but things are improving.

"More trains are arriving on time than ever before and everyone at the ScotRail Alliance is working flat out to provide customers with the service they deserve.”

Scottish Government agency Transport Scotland said it is “wholly understandable” that many passengers are unhappy.

A spokesman added: “ScotRail has been made aware of the necessity for them to meet these expectations. If ScotRail does not deliver its contractual commitments in the Remedial Agreement, it runs the risk of the franchise being terminated early.”

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.