THE rate of incremental complaints about Abellio trains, fares and rail conditions grows weekly. So the lack of customer care afflicting Ed Archer on the Lanark line (Letters, October 12) surprises me not in the slightest.
To such criticism, there’s never a cheep from Abellio ScotRail, nor its masters, Transport Scotland. Both rate as Scotland’s champion mutes.
Fares? I travel day return Stonehaven-Glasgow on Saturday, November 4, out on the 0756 and back on the 1641 ex-Queen Street. I booked on September 29 for a journey more than five weeks ahead. Yet my ticket is £34.75 … and that’s cattle class on a wretched Abellio 170 train.
For the same price, I could travel return to Edinburgh 1st class on Virgin Trains East Coast, meals and drinks at seat, with two toilets per coach, plus all the appurtenances that VTEC furnishes and Abellio doesn’t.
Sure enough, Abellio ScotRail is to introduce 125s for our InterCity routes, but in doing so, Abellio is degrading the proven 125s by reducing toilets per coach from two to one, and halving bike spaces for passengers joining at intermediate stations from four to two.
As I write, the standing of Abellio ScotRail sits at 90-something per cent, whatever this fatuous figure represents.
We passengers however can be assured that whatever the wondrous 90-plus datum indicates, it certainly doesn’t stand for basic value and customer service.
As for acting on criticism, we can be assured that Abellio ScotRail will do … er … nothing.
Alex Hynes, boss of Abellio ScotRail, is the new broom who’ll sweep clean. He’s got much to start sweeping up.
Gordon Casely,
Westerton Cottage, Crathes, Kincardineshire.
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