Ryder Cup: Commuters face train shortage squeeze

COMMUTERS face having to squeeze into fewer carriages on several routes during the Ryder Cup because of a shortage of trains, ScotRail announced today.

Scotrail will be transporting 7,500 people to and from the Ryder Cup each day. Picture: Michael Gillen

The train operator will shorten 12 rush hour trains a day to provide more seats for golf fans heading to Gleneagles.

The firm said it had hired five extra trains but had been unable to find enough from elsewhere on the British rail network to prevent services on other routes being reduced.

It said it would be transporting 7,500 people each day to and from the tournament, which overlapped with peak travel periods.

The cuts will affect some of Scotland’s busiest lines between Tuesday 23 and Friday 26 September, including the main Edinburgh-Glasgow route, and on some Edinburgh/Glasgow-Dunblane services.

They come just two months after ScotRail ran shorter trains on nearly 150 trains a day to provide extra space for Commonwealth Games spectators travelling to venues in Glasgow.

That sparked anger on the North Berwick-Edinburgh line, where passengers complained of being crammed into trains “like sardines”.

Robert Samson, a manager for watchdog body Passenger Focus, said: “Passengers will welcome additional rolling stock being brought in during the Ryder Cup. This should reduce the number of services which have fewer carriages than normal.

“ScotRail must work hard to make passengers who are likely to be affected by short-formed train services aware so they can make informed travel choices.”

A ScotRail spokeswoman said: “The Ryder Cup is an important event for Scotland and we are proud we will be transporting thousands of golf fans to Gleneagles via dedicated train services.

“We are doing all we can to reduce the impact on our regular customers and to inform them in advance of service changes.”

Full details at: http://www.scotrail.co.uk/rydercup/otherservices