Scottish Conservatives have slammed First Minister, Alex Salmond, and the SNP Scottish Government for failing to deliver on their promise to reduce the journey time on the Edinburgh – Inverness rail route by 35 minutes by 2012.
In August 2008 the First Minister promised voters north of the central belt that the SNP Scottish Government was in negotiation with network rail to make improvements to the line between Inverness and Edinburgh and made the specific commitment to reduce the train time by 35 minutes by 2012.
At First Minister’s Questions Liz Smith MSP questioned the First Minster on why this commitment to reduce the train time by 35 minutes had not been met.
Liz Smith, Scottish Conservative MSP for Mid Scotland & Fife said:
“Not only did the First Minister appear ignore the question about the Edinburgh to Inverness line but he failed to explain why his pledge of August 2008 to reduce the journey time between Inverness and Edinburgh by 35 minutes by 2012 has not happened.
“Instead of answering why his SNP Scottish Government has not met the target to reduce the journey time on the Edinburgh to Inverness line he decided to talk about Aberdeen to Inverness instead of facing up to his broken pledge.
“Many people in Perthshire and Fife commute to work in Inverness and increasingly residents north of the central belt are asking why the SNP are failing to invest in our rail network.
“Local people increasingly feels that the SNP have developed a central belt bias which is seeing the need of the communities north of the central belt ignored. Scotland deserves a first class rail network - not the second class ticket Alex Salmond and the SNP Scottish Government offer.
“I have today written to the First Minister to give him the opportunity to explain to local people why his specific commitment to reduce the train time by 35 minutes has not been met.”