'Betrayed' on night trains

Jun 17 2009 by Gregor White, Stirling Observer Wednesday

GOVERNMENT politicians and public agencies have been slammed for “a betrayal of public trust” over the handling of controversial freight services on Stirling’s new railway line.

The charge was made by local Labour list MSP Richard Simpson during a debate on the issue in the Scottish Parliament last Thursday (June 11).

Although Dr Simpson had tabled his own motion on the issue the one chosen for debate was put forward by Falkirk West SNP member Michael Matheson, relating specifically to the situation faced by his constituents in Larbert.

Nevertheless Dr Simpson argued that the problem was much the same for all communities living alongside the Stirling-Alloa-Kincardine line, with freight trains run by German firm DB Schenker (formerly EWS) causing people sleepless nights and damaging their property.

Objections from residents, he said, centre on the fact that, in the run up to the line being reopened last year, the understanding was that there would be no night-time running of the trains taking coal to Longannet power station.

Several trains now use the line throughout the night.

“The original impact report of 2001, which was commissioned by Clackmannanshire Council as the probable bill promoter, excluded night-time running of traffic along the line,” he said.

“Indeed, that report states on more than 13 occasions that the consultants, Scott Wilson, were not asked to consider the night-time running of trains.

“Transport Scotland must bear the responsibility for acceding to the stated objective of English Welsh and Scottish Railway, now DB Schenker, that freight would not run between 11pm and 7am.’’

As Transport Minister Stewart Stevenson argued that Transport Scotland had no powers over what companies ran on the line, or when, Dr Simpson claimed that was “not my point”.

“My point is that the bill was promoted in the parliament on a fallacious basis,” he said.

“The Stirling-Alloa-Kincardine Railway and Linked Improvements Bill Committee, Clackmannanshire Council, which is in no way a rail expert, and Transport Scotland, which must surely be the expert, allowed the project to proceed on the publicly accepted assumption that there would be no night-time running of trains.

“Network Rail, the successor to Railtrack, which existed when the original report was produced, has made it clear that it must allow 24/ 7 access if it is safe to do so and that it must allow general speed provided that it is safe.

“It has no requirement to consider the environmental circumstances.”

As reported in the Observer last week, in response to a written question from Dr Simpson the minister previously admitted that residents living by the track could be in line for compensation if they can prove they have suffered a drop in property value because of the route reopening.

During last week’s debate Mr Matheson also spoke about the findings of a noise and vibration survey carried out by Falkirk Council which he said showed significant problems being caused by the DB Schenker trains which created an average vibration level of 0.075 millimetres per second.

This compared to an average of just 0.025 for trains run by the Freightliner company which also use the line and “more than double” that created by passenger trains.

With Mr Matheson calling for speed restrictions to be imposed on the line as one way of lessening the vibration problem Mr Stevenson cited a 2004 report which indicated that train speeds and timetabling issues were “not within the scope” of the parliamentary bill that paved the way for the line’s reopening.

However he also added: “The minister and the government are perfectly prepared to acknowledge that there is a genuine concern being expressed by all members who have participated in the debate.”

And he said: “Transport Scotland has reviewed the information that Falkirk Council has gathered and believes that there is scope for further research to be done, and work on that will begin next week.’’