New services would improve value for money on Scotland’s railways

John Hamilton highlights the need for a rethink of rail development in Scotland (Letters, October 3).

A number of beneficial changes to the current pattern of train services could be considered for the new ScotRail franchise due in 2014. The new Airdrie-Bathgate rail timetable gives four trains from Glasgow Queen Street via Bathgate to Edinburgh, but train departures from Glasgow are bunched, with effectively only a half-hourly frequency. Better use of this route could be made by retaining the half-hourly Helensburgh-Bathgate-Edinburgh trains, and introducing new direct trains from Ayr, Inverclyde and Paisley to Edinburgh, running via Bathgate and the Glasgow Cross line which is to be electrified as part of the Edinburgh-Glasgow Improvement Programme. This would also provide a useful link from North Lanarkshire to Renfrewshire, Ayr and Inverclyde.

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