Post HST Highland Mainline Timetable?

[Class 170101]

The Fife stations should be Pick Up / Set down depending upon direction as appropriate so as to deter Edinburgh commuters.

 

[najaB]

The Fife stations should be Pick Up / Set down depending upon direction as appropriate so as to deter Edinburgh commuters.

I agree in principle, however good luck enforcing it.

 

[Stopper]

The Perth semi-fasts already provide a connection with the Glasgow-Inverness services don’t they?

Markinch doesn’t serve Glenrothes as much as you’d think. Many Glenrothes passengers don’t bother with the train due to both stations being so far from the centre, which is why both station near Glenrothes have such low passenger numbers compared to the size of the town.

Inverkeithing and Kirkcaldy both have the appropiate Perth service to connect with the train from Glasgow to Inverness. Neither of these two stations require any extra Edinburgh services either.

Ladybank doesn’t have a superb service but it’s already massively overservee as it is. It’s a tiny place with very low passenger numbers and get’s a 2tph each way service at best. Edinburgh Gateway has no need on the Inverness services either, as it has plenty of other trains, added to the fact it never seems to be that busy at all.

The only one that would justify a call would be Kirkcaldy based on population, however as a semi-regular traveller on these service, the issue with peak-time commuters can be annoying. At least this would be a useful stop however, rather than stopping at Edinburgh Gateway, for nobody to ever board or alight.

 

[Class 170101]

In terms of removing calls it is unlikely to have any impact on journey time as a removed call would just be replaced with pathing time.

 

[Stopper]

It’s not really the journey time that’s the most annoying thing about the Fife calls. It’s the commuters that fill up the train because it’s the fastest service. I’ve said it many times that I think the services should run fast Haymarket to Perth, but at least something like removing all Fife calls (and Edinburgh Ghostway) from the 17:41 EDB-INV service. Especially considering Fife gets the 68s that hour.

 

[route:oxford]

It’s not really the journey time that’s the most annoying thing about the Fife calls. It’s the commuters that fill up the train because it’s the fastest service. I’ve said it many times that I think the services should run fast Haymarket to Perth, but at least something like removing all Fife calls (and Edinburgh Ghostway) from the 17:41 EDB-INV service. Especially considering Fife gets the 68s that hour.

Why is there such a determined hatred for people who work at the Gyle & Gogarburn wishing to commute to and from Perth by train? It can be seen regularly in the Glasgow Herald and Scotsman too.

Not to mention hatred for the people who would like a connecton to and from an airport.

Between demands to cut services to Heathrow and demands to cut links to EDI via EGY - there is a serious issue in these forums with people who'd rather that passengers who worked for a living or had the sheer audacity to want to take a flight and get to the airport by public transport didn't use a train.

 

[Stopper]

Why is there such a determined hatred for people who work at the Gyle & Gogarburn wishing to commute to and from Perth by train? It can be seen regularly in the Glasgow Herald and Scotsman too.

Not to mention hatred for the people who would like a connecton to and from an airport.

Between demands to cut services to Heathrow and demands to cut links to EDI via EGY - there is a serious issue in these forums with people who'd rather that passengers who worked for a living or had the sheer audacity to want to take a flight and get to the airport by public transport didn't use a train.

Edinburgh Gateway is dead whenever I see it. Especially on Inverness services, which is why I think they shouldn’t stop there. People on here massively overestimate it’s importance, if ScotRail want it to be important they should be advertising it everywhere as an Airport Train/Tram interchange rather than their current tactic of calling everything they possibly can there and hoping people will use it. It’s an incredibly strange sight seeing a new station with such a big concourse and long covered platforms, just absolutely deserted all the time.

 

[Clansman]

From a passenger perspective, you have the opportunity to travel every hour where you're no longer than 2 hours to the nearest and second busiest airport in Scotland, with a station providing a direct interchange to the airport as well as important commercial business districts which wouldn't have been as easily reachable, with the added bonus of being able to take advantage of the low patronage which improves the experience on top of the provision itself.

What's not to like exactly?

No doubt if Gateway saw similar numbers on the Invernessers as Kirkcaldy does you'd be calling for the axe on it also.

 

[route:oxford]

Edinburgh Gateway is dead whenever I see it.

You're either hanging around the station for extended periods at bizarre times as part of your campaign to have this staton closed or on a deliberate wind up.

Edinburgh Gateway gets more than 250,000 users a year.

When will you start demanding that other stations, with lower or equal use, on the same route are closed too?

I make that:-

North Queensferry
Dunfermline Queen Margaret
Cowdenbeath
Lochgelly
Cardenden
Glenrothes with Thornton
Kinghorn
Burntisland
Aberdour

 

[47271]

As a Highland Main Line passenger I don't have a problem with my Edinburgh train stopping at Gateway since it allows me to get to Edinburgh Airport easily. I use it, so that needs to stay as far as I'm concerned.

I do have a problem with standing between Haymarket and Kirkcaldy on early evening trains home to allow Fife commuters to have seats. They have a choice of service, I don't.

These are my personal views of course, but we are discussing the Highland Main Line timetable.

 

[Stopper]

You're either hanging around the station for extended periods at bizarre times as part of your campaign to have this staton closed or on a deliberate wind up.

Edinburgh Gateway gets more than 250,000 users a year.

When will you start demanding that other stations, with lower or equal use, on the same route are closed too?

I make that:-

North Queensferry
Dunfermline Queen Margaret
Cowdenbeath
Lochgelly
Cardenden
Glenrothes with Thornton
Kinghorn
Burntisland
Aberdour

None of these stations are served by long distance inter-city services at least twice an hour in each direction.

I’d also like to know when Gateway is busy, considering I mainly travel through at around 6ish to see family up north and it’s almost deserted. A lot of people on here seem so desperate for it succeed that they fail to see the realities, such as the fact it’s promoted horrendously, it’s overengineered and not very busy at all.

Considering the line I commute on almost daily has over a million users on several stations, and most are close to a million, 250,000 users (which I believe is overstated anyway) isn’t what I’d consider very busy for an Airport Interchange.

Gateway has the facilities to be a thriving interchange but for whatever reason (the lack of advertisment probably), it just isn’t what people like to believe it is.

My actual point (which was ignored by the replies) was that the 17:41 shouldn’t call at any Fife Circle stations. The Fife commuters pack out the train, and they have 4tph other options that hour (including the 68s) and the Dundee service for some.

 

[najaB]

A lot of people on here seem so desperate for it succeed that they fail to see the realities, such as the fact it’s promoted horrendously, it’s overengineered and not very busy at all.

It is known as future-proofing. There is a *lot* of development planned for that area, come back in ten years or so and tell me that it's over-engineered and not busy.

 

[Stopper]

It is known as future-proofing. There is a *lot* of development planned for that area, come back in ten years or so and tell me that it's over-engineered and not busy.

I understand and agree with that. I don’t agree with calling Inverness (or Aberdeen like some suggest) trains there for now as that ‘future development’ is not there currently.

I’ve made my points on Gateway clear, it’s secondary to the Inverkeithing bus link for anyone from Fife or the North-East, but that’s not what I was even talking about. I was suggesting that the Fife calls be removed from the 17:41 EDB-INV service. As has been said before, those Fife commuters have a choice, people going north of Perth don’t.

 

[47271]

The lack of traffic at Gateway is amply covered in another thread solely devoted to the subject, but the lack of promotion, lack of clear through ticketing, and the shocking tram fares charged to get there from the Airport are doing it no favours whatsoever.

Lack of users has now become a political issue, but noone seems to be challenging on issues that could be fixed within months if not weeks. We don't need to wait ten years to resolve many of this station's most obvious problems.

 

[najaB]

I’ve made my points on Gateway clear, it’s secondary to the Inverkeithing bus link for anyone from Fife or the North-East, but that’s not what I was even talking about.

I stopped using the Inverkeithing bus link since Gateway opened.

I was suggesting that the Fife calls be removed from the 17:41 EDB-INV service.

That's a completely different argument and one I could agree with seeing as the Aberdeen trains, for the most part, run fast to at least Kirkcaldy.

 

[Stopper]

I stopped using the Inverkeithing bus link since Gateway opened.

Yes, you. And probably a lot of people who know their stuff would too. The numbers however suggest that Inverkeithing 747 Airport bus remains the more popular option. It’s not a surprise considering the comfort and speed of it, and the fact it takes you directly to the terminal.

 

[najaB]

It’s not a surprise considering the comfort and speed of it, and the fact it takes you directly to the terminal.

In the negative column, you have to cross the bridge.

 

[route:oxford]

Yes, you. And probably a lot of people who know their stuff would too. The numbers however suggest that Inverkeithing 747 Airport bus remains the more popular option. It’s not a surprise considering the comfort and speed of it, and the fact it takes you directly to the terminal.

It has the one advantage that Stagecoach consent to the sale of a 28 day return.

Scotrail have told me, in formal written response, that in line with other UK operators who offer joint tram & train ticketing via an interchange station to a key national airport - they are unable to sell period returns to EDA, EGY or EDP.

They have refused, when pressed, to disclose which non-heavy rail linked airport has a direct tram link to an interchange station.

 

[najaB]

Scotrail have told me, in formal written response, that in line with other UK operators who offer joint tram & train ticketing via an interchange station to a key national airport - they are unable to sell period returns to EDA, EGY or EDP.

I'm probably being dense but I don't understand what you're saying. I can purchase Anytime/Off Peak returns for DEE to EDA.

 

[43096]

They have refused, when pressed, to disclose which non-heavy rail linked airport has a direct tram link to an interchange station.

Newcastle? Not a tram, but is light rail.

 

[Chrism20]

I'm probably being dense but I don't understand what you're saying. I can purchase Anytime/Off Peak returns for DEE to EDA.

You can from the further away stations such as Dundee but you can’t from say Kirkcaldy. When booking you get two separate singles.

Kinda similar to not being able to get an open return from Edinburgh to Glasgow but you can from what is fast becoming my favourite station - Eskbank!

 

[najaB]

You can from the further away stations such as Dundee but you can’t from say Kirkcaldy. When booking you get two separate singles.

Kinda similar to not being able to get an open return from Edinburgh to Glasgow but you can from what is fast becoming my favourite station - Eskbank!

Isn't that just in common with period returns not being available for shorter flows?

 

[Chrism20]

Isn't that just in common with period returns not being available for shorter flows?

Yes and they appear to have applied the same methodology to journeys from/to Edinburgh Airport so it’s not possible to get a period return.

So if you go on Holiday for a week from Dundee you can get a period return to the airport but the guy down the road in Kirkcaldy can’t.

I’m not sure where @route:oxford enquired about travelling from but the distance seems to be the problem restricting the sale of period returns to airport

Another issue is if you don’t buy the tickets before you go you can’t rely on that machine at the airport (I’ve seen it out of order more than in order) so you would have to buy a tram ticket then a train ticket at gateway.

 

[najaB]

Another issue is if you don’t buy the tickets before you go you can’t rely on that machine at the airport (I’ve seen it out of order more than in order)

It seems to be a lot less reliable since it was moved. I never remember it being out of order in its prior location, now it seems to be broken as often as it is working.