South Scotland MSP Colin Smyth has said that rail passengers have once again been forgotten in the region as no station in Dumfries and Galloway has been included in Scot Rail’s new Bike and Go scheme- despite a promise by ScotRail franchise holders Abellio to roll out the scheme.

The Bike and Go scheme allows passengers to step from carriage to bike for a small fee and travel by bike for the whole day. The scheme has been rolled out across twelve train stations in Scotland – Aberdeen, Ayr, Dundee, Edinburgh Haymarket, Falkirk High, Glasgow Central, Inverness, Kilmarnock, Largs, Linlithgow, Perth and Stirling.

Colin Smyth MSP has said that this is yet another example of Scot Rail forgetting about services here in Dumfries and Galloway.

Colin Smyth said, “Despite promises being made by Abellio before they were awarded the Scot Rail franchise, they have failed to include Dumfries Train Station in their new Bike and Go scheme. It shows again that our region is being forgotten by Scot Rail who always prioritise other areas.

The original bike hire scheme in Dumfries has been discontinued and there is no doubt that delivering such a scheme in Dumfries is challenging as take up was previously low. But one way forward that was identified was to cooperate with public transport providers and use the station as a hub. It is disappointing that no progress has been made by ScotRail. I recently visited the Active Travel Hub based in Kilmarnock Train Station which has proved to be a huge success in encouraging active travel. There is a demand for improved services which is why Scot Rail should honour their promise and include Dumfries Train Station in it’s Bike and Go scheme.”