Lockerbie is last station on London’s mind

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McALPINE SPEAKS UP FOR LOCKERBIE RAIL PASSENGERS

South Scotland MSP, Joan McAlpine has spoken up for people who use Lockerbie Station when she raised the appalling record of Transpennine Express trains – which are regulated by the UK government. 

The SNP MSP had used parliamentary questions last week to ask the Minister for Transport, Infrastructure and Connectivity, Michael Matheson, what discussions he has had with the UK Government regarding the performance of the rail services in the South Scotland region that are regulated by the UK Department for Transport.

Her intervention comes as recent figures show that Lockerbie is now the worst performing station in Scotland.

Commenting, Ms McAlpine says,

“Given that Lockerbie is the only station in Scotland with rail services entirely regulated by the UK Government, it comes as no surprise to discover that it’s also the worst performingover the past six months, according to the rail monitoring website www.ontimetrains.co.uk.

“The Westminster regulated franchises that run these services have failed to deliver for the people of Dumfries and Galloway. The record of Transpennine Express is particularly poor, with hundreds of trains cancelled, a daily morning service axed, the withdrawal of seat reservation services and ticket prices hiked above inflation.

“However, I was pleased to hear Mr Matheson pledge to call upon the Transport Secretary within the UK Government to look at restoring the axed services as quickly as possible and address ongoing concerns about punctuality and cancellations. Perhaps they’ll now get their finger out to improve the appalling service on offer to the people of this region.”

Annandale North Councillor, Stephen Thompson said: “The sooner Lockerbie station runs trains as part of the Scottish network, the sooner we can take back control of our infrastructure and put an end to expensive, uncaring Westminster failures”

“We need more local influence over this station as it’s a vital part of our local infrastructure links to the rest of Scotland and major English cities.”