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Edinburgh Live
Edinburgh Live
National
Iona Young

ScotRail 'sorry' after Edinburgh passengers left 'pressed up against walls' on busy train

A commuter travelling from Edinburgh has slammed ScotRail after passengers on the service were left 'pressed up against walls' due to the lack of space on the rush hour service.

Alexander Dow was on the service from Edinburgh Waverley to Bathgate on January 17 when he became concerned about the number of passengers packed onto the three-carriage train.

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Although the student got a seat, he described how nobody could move between carriages due to so many people standing in corridors and how just two stops later, at Edinburgh Park, people were struggling to get onboard.

A spokesperson for ScotRail has apologised for the experience and explained due to a fault, the busy service only had three carriages which led to overcrowding.

Speaking to Edinburgh Live passenger Alexander Dow said: "There were only three carriages on this service which is of course during rush hour on one of the busiest lines in the country.

"I was travelling from Brunstane - Bathgate as a two-train journey but from Edinburgh Waverley- Bathgate on that specific train.

"It was mobbed, luckily I was seated but for the people standing they were pressed right up against one another and up against the walls and doors of the carriages just to fit people in.

"By the time people were getting on at Edinburgh park, people were having to try and get on at multiple different doors on different carriages just to find somewhere with enough space for them to get on.

"As we pulled up to Haymarket a man with a pram was standing waiting to get on and his face just looked so defeated when he saw the inside of the train, as if 'how on earth am I going to fit me and my baby onto this train?'"

He continued: "My return ticket from Bathgate to Brunstane to get to college is around £14, I believe the price for travellers just going from Edinburgh Waverley to Bathgate it’s around £7 for a single though.

"Even though it is cheaper it's still a very large and considerable amount of money for the services being provided by ScotRail."

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Phil Campbell, ScotRail Head of Customer Operations, said: “We’re sorry to any customer who experienced overcrowding on their journey today.

“Sometimes train faults develop that mean we are unable to provide the number of carriages that we intended to on a particular service.

“Everyone at ScotRail is focused on delivering the service our customers expect and deserve.”

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