A Dalbeattie law student has described a train operator as “an absolute joke” after being left stranded in Lockerbie.
Stacy Bradley-Davidson was Edinburgh-bound on Tuesday morning but the 8.35am Transpennine Express service never appeared.
The train no-show meant she had no way of getting to the capital for her first in-person lecture at the university.
Stacy, who started a two-year degree course last September, pointed to similar incidents on the “lifeline” link.
She told the News: “I booked my ticket last night for the 8.35am service from Lockerbie.
“It gets in at 10am which is plenty of time to get to my first class at 11am.
“On the way I always pull in to the lay-by between the Heathhall and Lockerbie roundabouts just to check.
“The app said the train was five minutes late and I thought that’s fine. But arriving at the station it said ten minutes.
“Standing on the platform I looked up and the sign said service delayed – then the train just disappeared from the board completely.
“I was going to Edinburgh University for the first in person lecture of my course and I was really looking forward to it.
“But now I’ve missed out because they did not record it. I think the service is an absolute joke.”
Community housing co-ordinator Stacy, 36, also had trouble on the service last Friday.
She caught the 8.35am train at Lockerbie and got to the capital at 10am to collect some course books from a friend.
But back at the station a message flashed up saying the 12.12pm return service was cancelled because of “trespassers on the line”.
The 2.15pm was also scrapped but the 4.15pm service was still on and she got home after a four-hour delay.
In a message to TPE, a fuming Stacy said: “Sort this out, run the service properly or give it to somebody else.
“People rely on this as a lifeline service for our region. It’s not just me – it’s people with onward travel to airports or connecting trains, with attending hospital appointments or going to work.
“I know a lot of people who are commuting by car because the service is so poor.
“TPE don’t have any dedicated staff at Lockerbie, Waverley or Glasgow. ScotRail staff do their best to get folk organised with alternative arrangements.
“But they need TPE to sign it off and that can take hours.
“To be honest, I would like to see Scotland’s new nationalised train operator ScotRail run its own service on the line.
“The last train back from Edinburgh is nearly always cancelled and in October a lot of us got a replacement taxi back to Lockerbie.”
Transpennine Express has been the subject of numerous complaints about the “shambolic service” at Lockerbie station over the last three years.
Kathryn O’Brien, the train operator’s Customer Experience Director, said: “We are sorry for any disruption experienced by our customers.
“Due to increased sickness levels, driven by the ongoing impact of the Covid, we have recently introduced an amended timetable. This is designed to provide more certainty for customers and reduced the potential for short-notice cancellations. Sadly, as sickness levels fluctuate and we feel the impact of some industrial relations issues, it has been necessary to cancel some services.
“We continue to advise customers to check carefully before travel and to allow extra time for journeys. Anyone inconvenienced by disruption may be eligible for compensation or a refund. More information can be found at via our website at tpexpress.co.uk/help.”
