Bring a halt to local rail chaos

Local MSPs Gil Paterson and Rona Mackay have welcomed the SNP Group’s motion to East Dunbartonshire Council which calls on the Council to commission a feasibility study into re-twin tracking the Milngavie rail line.
The study would also look into providing new rail halts with park and ride facilities at the Allander in Bearsden, Westerhill in Bishopbriggs and Woodilee in Kirkintilloch.
The funding to undertake the feasibility study would come from the Rail Pipeline Fund, recently initiated by the Scottish Government.
Gil Paterson said: “It is gratifying that after many months of work lobbying the rail operators Abellio ScotRail, Network Rail and Transport Scotland about measures to resolve the unacceptable train performance on the Milngavie rail line East Dunbartonshire Council can now make application to the new Rail Pipeline Fund established recently by the Scottish Government to tackle local problems with the rail infrastructure.
“Rona and I have written jointly to the Strathclyde Partnership for Transport and East Dunbartonshire Council requesting their support for the re-twin tracking of the Rail line from Westerton to Milngavie which we believe is the first action necessary if we are to improve rail services in East Dunbartonshire. We hope to meet with both organisations soon to outline our concerns and highlight potential solutions suggested to us by rail professionals.”
Rona Mackay commented: “The travelling public are rightly sick and tired of unannounced train cancellations, station skipping and late arrivals. The Milngavie rail line was recently reported as the worst performing line in Scotland so something has to be done to resolve these unacceptable problems. The re-twinning of the track between Westerton and Milngavie will be biggest, least expensive and easiest change for improvement in East Dunbartonshire.
“Once this urgent twin tracking work is completed it will enable the three new rail halts with park and ride facilities which will resolve much of our congestion problems and reduce the bad air quality experienced in East Dunbartonshire.”
She added: “I hope when Cllr Gordan Low’s motion is decided on 26 April the debate does not descend into a party political points scoring argument and all councillors see the merit in the potential improvement this action will achieve for the local communities of Bearsden and Milngavie.”