HISTORIC PRESS RELEASE : Big Growth in Passengers Using Edinburgh Commuter Services [July 2001]

The press release issued by the Strategic Rail Authority on 13 July 2001.

For the third year running the number of passengers commuting over the Forth Bridge into Edinburgh during peak hours has increased substantially.

Based on counts taken for the SRA in early 2001, the number of passengers on morning peak services travelling across the Forth Bridge into Edinburgh rose by a quarter compared with the Autumn 1999 survey, to a total of 3,250.

Despite the dramatic growth, the levels of overcrowding increased only slightly because ScotRail has provided additional capacity on the route, and at the start of this Summer’s timetable, introduced another service from Dundee. At 3%, the level of overcrowding in the Spring 2001 count was up 0.2% on its Autumn 1999 level of 2.8%. This represents the maximum level of overcrowding deemed acceptable by the SRA over morning and evening peaks taken together.

SRA Chief Executive Mike Grant said:

“I am pleased to see the continued growth on this increasingly popular commuter line. And I am encouraged by the proactive management approach ScotRail has taken to try to ease overcrowding. Clearly in the future more capacity will be needed and we will be discussing with ScotRail, the Scottish Executive and the Local Authority how this can be provided.”