Dave Thompson MSP

Highlands and Islands MSP Dave Thompson has questioned a train operator's commitment to maintaining Inverness's only direct rail link with London after learning that the Highland Chieftain service has been terminated at Perth on several occasions recently, although train services between the Highland Capital and other Scottish destinations have been operating on the same days.

Mr Thompson (SNP) discovered the cancellation of the service by East Coast Trains on Thursday morning when he turned up at Inverness Station to catch the 7.55am Chieftain service to Edinburgh but was told that a replacement bus service had been arranged because the train had stopped at Perth the previous evening.

He discovered this was not the first time the train had not completed the full journey to the north of its official route and a bus service added to take services from stations north of Perth to complete their journeys.

"Does this train company really want to send out the message that buses are more reliable than their trains as soon as the weather turns cold?" asked Mr Thompson. "Or are they telling us that people north of Perth don't matter.

"They seem to be keeping their trains in Edinburgh or Perth to make sure they get back to London the following day because they are worried they won't make it over Drummochter or the Slochd.

"After the excellent campaign run to keep this service for Inverness, East Coast will need a very good reason not to send a train to Inverness."

Mr Thompson contacted East Coast to ask about the cancellation of the service and was told that any delay to a train in the north of Scotland impacted on services farther south.

A spokesman for East Coast told the MSP: "As a result of the adverse weather conditions in northern Scotland and more forecasted snow, East Coast’s London King’s Cross to Inverness service is terminating at Perth today and the service from Inverness to London King’s Cross will subsequently start at Perth tomorrow (17 Dec).  To help mitigate the impact of this we have put arrangements in place for a replacement bus service to operate between Perth and Inverness.

"This is not a decision we have taken lightly but it is based on our experience of the past few weeks, including one episode where an East Coast train was trapped in Aberdeen for six days as a result of the freezing temperatures. Such situations have a serious knock-on effect on the operations of our Anglo-Scottish service.

"We are aware of the inconvenience this measure may cause and, apart from making arrangements for a bus replacement service, we are also reviewing the situation on a daily basis."