I'm pleased that the Transport Minister, Keith Brown MSP, has announced reduced Dundee rail fares from 19 May 2013. Over 1500 "split ticketing" inconsistencies throughout Scotland will end thanks to a £2.28 million grant from Transport Scotland.
It is claimed that the move will ensure that end-to-end fares will be at least 50p cheaper than buying one ticket part of the way to a destination, and a second ticket to complete the journey. These changes should remove expensive anomalies in fares from Dundee which gave rise to the Tay Tax campaign led by Dundee based Labour MSP, Jenny Marra.
For example, next month fares from Dundee to Portlethan will be cut by £11.30 (41%), to Aberdeen by £9.40 (34%), to Edinburgh by £7 (30%) and to Stirling by £5 (27%).
The new cheaper fares will be very welcome news for Dundee rail commuters. Dundee businesses will also welcome the cheaper fares as this could help attract more visitors into the City. With the VandA development, cheaper fares into Dundee should help build visitor numbers.
ScotRail have pointed out while the new deal will end split-ticketing on more popular journeys, it may still be possible to find a cheaper deal by stringing together several legs of a journey, or splitting less common fares.
It is not clear whether the changes will also help remove anomalies in the rail fares to and from Broughty Ferry which I have regularly highlighted. I hope that fares from our station are not some of the less popular routes ScotRail and the Scottish Government have overlooked. I have written to ScotRail to ask for clarification on this.
On Monday I took the 09:06 East Coast London train from Dundee station. On the train, I was delighted to meet my Labour colleague Marlyn Glen, the former MSP for North East Scotland. I was going to Edinburgh but, like many of the folk who got on the train with their cases, Marlyn was travelling down to London.
When I am travelling by rail to a destination beyond Edinburgh, I always look to see whether there is a long distance through train to save me changing trains on the way. I also value the East Coast 125 express services as they usually have shorter journey times to Edinburgh. Additionally, I prefer the layout in their carriages with plenty of tables to sit and read my paper at or to plug in my notebook computer.
These through trains are also a boon to folk struggling with their holiday luggage or parents and carers with children and push chairs.
I am sure many residents in Dundee value East Coast, Cross Country and Caledonian Sleeper long distance train services that run to and from Dundee. If the SNP government's proposal for the future of rail services in Scotland goes ahead, we would be left stranded in Dundee with just slower shuttle train services south and a compulsory change of train at Edinburgh.
If like me you think we should "hang on the what we've got" join the campaign for a rethink on these issues and register your support with the Scottish Labour campaign.
