TRAIN passengers using a key route into Glasgow could quit using the public transport
due to severe overcrowding, experts warned today.
Carriages on the East Kilbride to Glasgow line are 94% full during the morning
rush hour and demand could soon outstrip capacity, according to a study.
Adding to the problem is the single line - which limits train numbers at peak
times - between East Kilbride and Busby.
Officials in East Renfrewshire have highlighted overcrowding on the route as a
major obstacle in the battle to tempt commuters out of their cars.
The council's local transport plan, published this week, raises concern that passengers
in Busby, Clarkston, Giffnock and Thornliebank will suffer because of limited
capacity.
The report states: "Overcrowding problems are worst on the East Kilbride line and
services will come under further pressure in the future.
"Constraints apply to the trains themselves with limitations on platform lengths,
rolling stock availability and the track capacity."
Councillor Alistair Watson, chairman of Strathclyde Partnership for Transport,
said: "Unless something is done to tackle this problem, we will drive people away
from public transport.
"The East Kilbride line is a victim of its own success it's now a major commuter
route. We plan to hold talks with Transport Scotland and the operator to see what
can be done."
The service is half-hourly at most times but four trains run between 8am and 9am.
Giffnock, Busby and Thornliebank stations - all on the East Kilbride line - have
seen a drop in the number of passengers recently with commuters citing overcrowding
and security concerns for them ditching train travel.
James H _________________ The blinding obvious is what you showed to me.....
RAIL chiefs are installing lifts at four train stations in and around Glasgow as
part of a Government Access For All nationwide programme which is costing
£370million.
Lifts are being fitted at stations in Mouth Florida in Glasgow, Motherwell and Rutherglen
in South Lanarkshire as well as Barrhead in East Renfrewshire, Network Rail has
announced.
Transport Minister Stewart Stevenson MSP said: "It is a key Scottish Government
priority that access to transport links is made easier for all passengers.
"I am therefore pleased that this investment will bring valuable benefits and increase
opportunities to travel through improved station access."
James H _________________ The blinding obvious is what you showed to me.....
MORE than 100 CCTV cameras are to be installed at Scots railway stations in a major
new drive to boost passenger security.
The £350,000 initiative, which was unveiled today, will see 23 new cameras
installed in Queen Street lower level.
Apart from the Glasgow station, the third busiest in the country, 46 cameras
will be fitted at Motherwell.
The rest of the 116 cameras will be fitted at Inverness. Eight CCTV Help Points
will also be installed on platforms at the stations.
First ScotRail said the work would be completed by next month, when the train
operator will manage a total of 3950 cameras and 441CCTV Help Points at 241
stations across Scotland.
James H _________________ The blinding obvious is what you showed to me.....
THE cost of upgrading one of Scotland's busiest stations has soared by
£6.3million.
Strathclyde Partnership for Transport was originally told the cost of building
work at Partick would be £9.7m, with a further £2.6m needed for professional
fees and third party costs.
But contractor C Spencer Construction has asked SPT for a further £6.3m,
bringing the total cost of construction to £16m and the final bill to £18.6m.
It is the latest problem to hit work at the station, which is two years behind
schedule.
SPT has agreed to pay the Lincolnshire based company almost £2m of its
new claim but is disputing the remainder.
A spokesman for the transport authority said the extra cost and delay in
completing the project was mainly due to ground conditions, which were
discovered when work began.
That resulted in work being delayed while the station was redesigned.
Further delays occurred when SPT and Network Rail were involved in a
wrangle over insurance liability for workers involved in the project.
And the ownership of a small strip of land beside the station concourse
further held up the work.
The SPT spokesman said: "When they started digging the foundations they
came across things they were not expecting and could not factor in. As a
result they had to investigate and redesign, which caused delays.
"We have agreed an interim payment of £1.96m, but are challenging
£4.34m to make sure the claims can be substantiated."
Work on the interchange started in 2005 and was due to finish early last
year.
Consultants employed by SPT are studying the details of the construction
firms claims, but already believe not all can be justified.
James H _________________ The blinding obvious is what you showed to me.....
RAIL bosses want to make the busy Glasgow to Edinburgh train line one of
the best in the world.
Network Rail hope the route will have "world-class" punctuality and
reliability, similar to lines anywhere in the globe.
More than seven out of 10 trains currently arrive on time and more than
nine in 10 are within five minutes of schedule.
But targets will be set to further improve timekeeping, which bosses say is
already at its best for decade.
Measures being considered include raising the speed limits on sections of
the line which would help reduce the current 48-minute journey time and
boost the economy by £60million for every minute saved.
And an extra £5million has been added to the £20m annual spend on the
line. Non-stop trains would be introduced and the speed limit raised from
90mph to 100mph as part of the proposals.
James H _________________ The blinding obvious is what you showed to me.....
RAIL bosses want to make Glasgow's Central Station safer - with 250 new
CCTV cameras.
Network Rail has applied for planning permission for the massive security
upgrade as part of a multi-million pound plan across Scotland's busiest
stations.
The high-resolution cameras will provide blanket cover of the upper level
of the station with close attention paid to trouble spots such as bike racks
and entrances.
Cameras on the outside of the huge building will also cover the
surrounding streets which are crime hotspots especially at weekends.
For security reasons, Network Rail declined to say exactly where the
cameras will be located but said careful consideration had been given to
their locations.
A spokesman said: "The cameras will be placed in areas which will be most
likely to need them, such as facing on to bicycle racks, pointing at steps
into the station and the immediate streets surrounding the station.
"Different types will be used and they will be placed as unobtrusively as
possible."
A study by the Evening Times earlier this year showed the streets around
Central Station to be the most dangerous in the city.
Of the 232 beats in Strathclyde Police's A, C, E and G divisions, the travel
hub had the most violent crimes.
Serious assaults, which form part of the serious violence group and include
stabbings, were also highest around Central Station.
It is hoped the new camera network will cut crime and help passengers
feel safer using the station.
James H _________________ The blinding obvious is what you showed to me.....
"Different types will be used and they will be placed as unobtrusively as
possible."
Erm listening ones perhaps ? Love the word "unobtrusively" as they fit something else to encroach further and further into your life. _________________ MY FLICKR
"At least on the internet the pages are not all stuck together"
RAIL bosses have been accused of treating Glasgow passengers like
"second-class citizens" - for refusing to serve coffee and snacks on part
of their service.
Concern has been raised about the lack of catering provided by
CrossCountry - which operates out of 100 stations across Britain.
People travelling from Glasgow Central to London are unable to buy food
or drink at all on the Glasgow to Edinburgh leg. And for first-class
passengers there is no at-seat catering service until Newcastle.
Now Labour's transport spokesman, Clydebank and Milngavie MSP Des
McNulty, has written to Transport Minister Stewart Stevenson outlining his
concerns.
Mr McNulty said: "I have had a lot of letters and complaints about the
deteriorating service run by CrossCountry.
"The level of service is simply unacceptable and is treating passengers like
second-class citizens."
CrossCountry said it did not serve food and drink until Edinburgh because
it was not commercially "viable".
James H _________________ The blinding obvious is what you showed to me.....
People travelling from Glasgow Central to London are unable to buy food or drink at all on the Glasgow to Edinburgh leg. And for first-class passengers there is no at-seat catering service until Newcastle.
Now Labour's transport spokesman, Clydebank and Milngavie MSP Des
McNulty, has written to Transport Minister Stewart Stevenson outlining his
concerns.
One just can't get the staff these days. One finds one's butler can usually make it up from third class before we cross the border.
In any case, what with this new-fangled Health and Safety nonsense, the demand for deep-fried Mars bars is probably insufficient to justify the provision of a chippie simply for the Glasgow to Newcastle leg.
THOUSANDS of commuters face travel chaos for a month when five railways
stations in Glasgow will be closed.
The shutdown follows the collapse of old mine works near the Cathcart
Circle line.
Passengers will be forced to swap trains for buses to allow engineers to
carry out emergency safety work costing £2million in the South Side of the
city.
The stations to be shut are Pollokshaws East, Queens Park, Crosshill,
Mount Florida and Cathcart.
All five will be closed from Tuesday, July 22, and won't reopen until Sunday,
August 17.
Passengers were today told they will have to switch to local bus services.
First ScotRail is to run a revised timetable between Glasgow Central and
stations at Neilston, Renfrewshire, and Newton, South Lanarkshire, to
enable engineers to tackle the subsidence problem.
The train operator says the extensive repairs will add around seven
minutes to some journey times, while passengers face changes to
departure and arrival times during the month-long programme.
Network Rail, which is responsible for rail infrastructure, has hired civil
engineering contractor Edmund Nuttall, the firm which built Glasgow's
Squinty Bridge, to carry out the work.
Programme manager Raymond Johnstone said: "At the end of May, we
identified subsidence near the Cathcart Circle line just south of
Pollokshields East station.
"This coincided with works being carried out by developers on an adjacent
site. A speed restriction of 5mph was imposed immediately and watchmen
were assigned to the site to monitor the track condition after every train
movement.
"A full survey of the site by Network Rail has identified the cause of the
subsidence. Ancient mine workings four metres below ground have
partially collapsed, causing the ground near the track to subside.
"In order to fix the problem, Network Rail considered several options and
all but one would have involved excavation of the site and long-term
disruption to train services and residents for many months.
"The solution involves drilling bore holes and filling the gap beneath the
ground with grouting material. This will require a four-week closure of the
track in this area."
Steve Montgomery, operations and safety director at First ScotRail, said:
"We will be operating as comprehensive a timetable as possible during this
time in order to minimise the impact on our customers.
"Where a rail service cannot be operated, alternative transport will be
available and staff will be on hand to provide assistance."
Train passengers who have already bought season tickets and zonecards
won't be charged by bus firms so long as they produce them.
First ScotRail also plans a half hourly shuttle bus service which will call at
all five stations. Buses will also pick up and drop off commuters at King's
Park who are travelling to and from Newton and Neilston.
Posters highlighting the temporary timetable are to be displayed at stations
while wheelchair users are asked to contact First ScotRail's travel line.
James H
_________________ The blinding obvious is what you showed to me.....
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