Scotrail Timetable improvements from December

[overthewater]

Come out on Twitter today:

http://www.scotrail.co.uk/content/expanded-train-services-december-2013

Rail passengers will benefit from more trains and extra stops in ScotRail's new national timetable. The train operator today announced that the expanded timetable – from 8 December – will deliver:

• 15 extra trains on the Edinburgh-Stirling route on Sundays
• An hourly Fife Circle service on Sundays for the first time (previously two-hourly)
• Two new Sunday services linking Edinburgh and Perth
• Four additional calls at Monifieth from Monday-Saturday
• And the extension of the 06.25 Montrose to Inverness weekday service, which will instead start from Dundee at 05.39.

Meanwhile, Dalmarnock station – currently served six days a week – will be open from 10.40 to 18.10 every Sunday. More than 60 Sunday services on the Milngavie-Lanark/Motherwell via Bellshill and Balloch-Motherwell via Hamilton Central lines will call at Dalmarnock.

And a new 22.59 Lanark to Motherwell service will run every weekday – calling at Carluke, Shieldmuir and Motherwell – where customers can join the Caledonian Sleeper to London Euston.

Steve Montgomery, ScotRail’s managing director, said: “We are confident that customers will welcome our expanded timetable, which helps meet the growing demand for rail travel.

“By opening up even more journey opportunities to the travelling public, we are continuing to deliver better links between Scottish communities.”

Transport Minister Keith Brown said: “These additional services mean passengers will be able to make even more use of Scotland’s railways in plenty of time for Christmas, and beyond.

“We continue to see greater numbers of people enjoying the benefits of travelling by train. By introducing more services and calls, the Scottish Government and ScotRail are working hard to attract even more people onto our railways and improve connectivity across our communities.”

Liz Cameron, chief executive at Scottish Chambers of Commerce, said: "These improvements to rail services are great news for rail users and for businesses as they seek to attract new customers in the winter months.

“Connectivity is vital to our economy and with the number of passengers using Scotland's railways on an upward path, it is great to see additional services being laid on in the run up to Christmas and beyond."

ScotRail is encouraging its customers to visit www.scotrail.co.uk to check journey information for the routes they use before the timetable is introduced, as some times will have changed slightly.

Notes to Editors
Times for individual journeys are available now via ScotRail’s stations, website and Customer Relations centre. The new timetables will be available in full from mid-November at stations and at www.scotrail.co.uk/content/new-timetables.

There will be seven extra services from Stirling to Edinburgh and eight in other direction every Sunday.

The Fife Circle will become hourly on Sundays thanks to:
• Four additional services in each direction between Edinburgh and Glenrothes via Kirkcaldy
• Four additional services in each direction between Edinburgh and Glenrothes via Dunfermline.

Edinburgh-Perth:
The introduction of a 09:36 Perth–Edinburgh via Dunfermline and 18:55 Edinburgh–Perth via Dunfermline services on Sundays means that, for the first time, there will be direct rail links between Perth and the stations between Glenrothes with Thornton and Rosyth.

Monifieth (Mondays-Saturdays):
• From 8 December, the 16:11 Glasgow Queen Street–Arbroath train will call at Monifieth at 17:57
• The 21:41 Glasgow Queen Street–Aberdeen will call at Monifieth 23:14
• The 04:53 Inverness–Edinburgh will call at Monifieth 08:11
• The 18:19 Arbroath–Edinburgh will call at Monifieth 18:31.

Also please note: Culrain on the Far North Line will become a request stop.

 

[route:oxford]

Very good.

Any reason why some of the extra Stirling aren't sent up to their usual terminus at Dunblane?

 

[overthewater]

Very good.

Any reason why some of the extra Stirling aren't sent up to their usual terminus at Dunblane?

Would cost more money for addition crew?

 

[route:oxford]

Would cost more money for addition crew?

Perhaps.

For example, there is the 12:59 arrival from Edinburgh into Platform 2, looking at the timetables, it would appear that this will form the 13:46 to Edinburgh from Platform 8.

Of course, there may be other trains in the way, but 47 minutes would seem adequate to route up to Dunblane and back, or Alloa and back.

It's not ECSing up to Dunblane is it? I'm not sure what the turnback arrangements are in Stirling to get from platform 2 to platform 8...

 

[Blindtraveler]

Very good.

Any reason why some of the extra Stirling aren't sent up to their usual terminus at Dunblane?

At a guess, demand, or lack of. The extra Stirling Edinburgh are needed, have been for while but even more since the painfully slow bus to Edin was split off into 2 sections on a Sunday and cut back requiring a change and a wate at Falkirk, not that it was ever a viable through journey anyway but it never the less was used.↲↲
More concerning is that I hope the extra Fife Circles dont result in the Aberdeens on Sundays returning to 3 car opperation as even north of Dundee they are full.↲

 

[route:oxford]

At a guess, demand, or lack of. The extra Stirling Edinburgh are needed, have been for while but even more since the painfully slow bus to Edin was split off into 2 sections on a Sunday and cut back requiring a change and a wate at Falkirk, not that it was ever a viable through journey anyway but it never the less was used.↲↲
More concerning is that I hope the extra Fife Circles dont result in the Aberdeens on Sundays returning to 3 car opperation as even north of Dundee they are full.↲

Sunday services in Scotland have come a long way in the last couple of decades.

I distinctly recall having to change at either Croy or Falkirk in order to get to Edinburgh from Dunblane on a Sunday.

 

[Blindtraveler]

Sunday services in Scotland have come a long way in the last couple of decades.

I distinctly recall having to change at either Croy or Falkirk in order to get to Edinburgh from Dunblane on a Sunday.

Im too young to remember that however I can still recall much reduced Sunday trains everywhere on Sundays