Wednesday 5 October 2011

Improved rail services

Councillors have today received an update from the City Council's Head of Transportation regarding improved rail services for the Dundee area.    Here is the detail of this :

Members will probably have seen recent press coverage of soon to be introduced rail improvements for the Dundee area.  For your information  the improvements to rail services to be introduced in the Dundee area with effect from Monday, 12 December 2011 are as follows:

Glasgow - Dundee
An additional seven services will operate Monday to Saturday between Dundee and Glasgow (five Glasgow bound and two Dundee bound).  These services are timetabled to depart Glasgow at 08:06, 09:06, 16:11, 17:11 and 19:11. The 16:11 is scheduled to call at Invergowrie in addition to Dundee.  Two new Dundee to Glasgow services in addition to the 05:58 Dundee to Glasgow service introduced in May 2011. These services are timetabled to depart Dundee at 12:15 and 15:15. 

Broughty Ferry
In summary an additional nine services will call Monday to Saturday at Broughty Ferry giving 13 daily services as compared to the current 4 services.  The timetable for services calling at Broughty Ferry is summarised below:

These enhancements are as a result of ongoing development work on the Tay Estuary Rail Study by TACTRAN.  The TACTRAN engagement with Transport Scotland and rail industry organisations hopes to achieve a local stopping rail service for the Arbroath-Glasgow route.  The Broughty Ferry enhancement is a commercial decision by operator First ScotRail using existing Aberdeen-Glasgow/Edinburgh services.  The twelve month trial will determine if increased patronage justifies the ongoing stopping of these journeys.  

The increased Glasgow-Dundee service enhancement is as a result of pushing through existing Glasgow to Perth services to Dundee as part of the improvements achieved by the Highland Mainline Project being undertaken by Transport Scotland.  Further information can be found in the report approved by the TACTRAN Partnership Board on 20 September 2011.