PLANS to terminate cross-border trains in Edinburgh have been dropped, following protests from passengers in the north of Scotland over the loss of direct services to England.
Transport Scotland, the Government agency responsible for rail services, had proposed making Edinburgh Waverley a "hub" for passengers from Dundee, Aberdeen and Inverness travelling to or from England who would have to change onto ScotRail services to go north.
But the plans, published as part of the Rail 2014 consultation last November, were jettisoned yesterday by Transport Minister Keith Brown, who said he was responding to concerns voiced by passengers who had taken part in the consultation.
"It is right that we give a full appraisal of the options and then let people have their say and I am pleased to confirm that this has resulted in the continuation of direct cross-border services for the north of Scotland."
Trains operated by East Coast and Cross Country Trains currently operate between England and the north of Scotland but were said to be "under utilised" north of the central belt by Transport Scotland.
Passenger and business groups had raised concerns that forcing people to change trains would make rail less attractive. Experts also questioned whether Edinburgh Waverley would have enough capacity for thousands more passengers changing trains on a daily basis.
Richard Baker, Labour's Shadow Infrastructure Secretary, said: "We are in the ludicrous position of seeing Keith Brown travel to Dundee to rule out one of his own ideas, but it is a relief that common sense has prevailed."
Jim Hume, the LibDem's transport spokesman, added: "These flawed plans would have penalised passengers and would have meant longer more complicated journeys.
"This is not a precedent we want to set as we try and encourage more people to use trains."
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