Rail guru backs our campaign

A leading rail expert is backing The Inverness Courier’s campaign to save direct daytime train services between Inverness and England.

Mark Smith, who runs the award-winning website, The Man in Seat Sixty-One, is urging people to add their names to our Save Our Trains petition which has now attracted more than 1400 signatures.

The campaign was launched in response to a consultation on the future of rail services which suggests through-services between the north of Scotland and London could be axed, forcing passengers to change at Edinburgh.

Overnight sleeper trains were subsequently saved following pledges by the Scottish and UK governments to invest more than £100 million in new sleeping cars.

But direct daytime services, including the Highland Chieftain operating between Inverness and London, are still under threat by a proposed Edinburgh hub which would force passengers to change in the Scottish capital to go anywhere in England.

"The elderly and those with lugggage and children would have to drag themselves and their bags and kids from one train to another," says Mr Smith. "Journey times would be extended considerably, by the need to allow an extra hour in case of a missed connection, as on today’s railway, connections simply aren’t held.

"At a time when we should be using domestic flights less, not more, this threatens the current integrated train service between Scottish cities and London."

* Buy The Inverness Courier to read the views of passengers at Inverness rail station where Transport Scotland staff held a day-long event this week as part of the consultation.