Express trains could cut third off inter-city journey times

THOUSANDS of rail commuters could benefit under plans for express trains that would cut journey times by nearly a third on a route between Edinburgh and Glasgow.

A new study has backed hourly limited-stop services on the secondary line via Shotts, in addition to the existing hourly trains which stop at nearly every station.

However, the official passenger watchdog said travellers using other stations on the route must not lose out.

Trains currently take so long to complete the Shotts-line journey that station announcers at Haymarket in Edinburgh warn Glasgow-bound passengers not to board unless they have a copy of War and Peace.

However, the planned expresses would call at only five of the 19 intermediate stations on the line, reducing journey times between the two cities from 94 minutes to 67 minutes.

This would still be slower than the 48-minute fastest journeys on the main line from Edinburgh via Falkirk to Glasgow Queen Street, but the Shotts route runs to Glasgow Central, enabling direct connections for trains to Ayrshire and south-west Scotland.

The express services would stop at Uddingston, Shotts, West Calder, Livingston South and Haymarket, with station parking also improved.

The Scottish Executive's Transport Scotland agency, which will consider the results of the study, plans improvements to the line in the next two years.

A third line between Edinburgh and Glasgow, which runs via Carstairs and is used by cross-border GNER and Virgin services, could also be upgraded.

A fourth link between the cities is due to be in place in 2010 with the reopening of the former section between Bathgate and Drumgelloch, near Airdrie. That journey time would be 74 minutes.

Faster services on the Shotts line are seen as crucial by the South East Scotland Transport Partnership (SESTRAN) and Strathclyde Partnership for Transport (SPT) - the transport co-ordinating bodies which commissioned the report.

They said the plans would significantly enhance the rail route.

Russell Imrie, the chairman of SESTRAN, said: "They are a positive first step towards cutting journey times for travellers and improving overall services between Scotland's two largest cities."

Alistair Watson, his opposite number at SPT, said: "The Shotts line is one of the key transport corridors between Scotland's two major cities. These proposals would create a big improvement in journey times and provide more choice for the ever-growing number of passengers."

Passenger Focus, the former Rail Passengers Council, welcomed the report but said faster services must not come at the expense of smaller stations losing out.

Network Rail has proposed limited-stop trains every half-hour rather than a combination of fast and slow trains.

This would mean trains stopping at some stations only every two hours, rather than hourly at present. These plans are due to be finalised within the next two months before going to ministers.

Robert Samson, a spokesman for Passenger Focus, said a survey it commissioned showed travellers were opposed to a reduction in service frequency, and Edinburgh city council shared their concerns.