Virtual Branch Line virtually useless
Friday, 09 January 2009
The Scottish Government’s virtual branch line is an
insult to St Andrews. All it is is information about
the buses for rail passengers. Now of course this
should have been provided from the start and it is a
good thing that it finally is, but that in no way
comes near an actual rail service. The combined rail
and bus ticket is doubtless convenient for some, but
there is no financial advantage in purchasing it.
There are no extra buses. The bus times have not been
changed to fit in with the trains. And the bus
services are not dedicated St Andrews-Leuchars
Station services. The National Rail website for
Leuchars now shows the bus-times to SANWBUS, which
those with a cryptic mind might work out means St
Andrews Bus Station, but it does not give the arrival
time (unlike the paper rail timetable which gives the
arrival time but omits the departure) nor does it
give the service number of the buses which,
bizarrely, are described as being operated by First
Scotrail. This will come as news to Mr Soutar and
Moffat & Williamson. So the buses, depending upon
their routes, are taking the same time to get to St
Andrews, and the trains are running at the same speed
as previously, yet the Scottish Government claims
this will improve journey times! This either displays
ignorance of the actual situation - any passenger
will confirm that the place where time could be saved
is at Leuchars itself, between getting off a bus and
on to a train or vice-versa - or blatant dishonesty,
and a hope that by repeating the lie often enough,
people will believe it.