‘The carriage was like the cell they held Dumbo’s mum:’ Commuters angered by ScotRail response to Haymarket disruption

Angry rail commuters have complained of being penned into a carriage like ‘livestock’ at Haymarket Station after several trains were cancelled or delayed.

ScotRail tweeted this evening that they have been dealing with congestion between Haymarket and Edinburgh Park train stations because of a fault with the signalling system.

The rail operator said they have resduced their Eidnburgh-Glasgow Queen Street (via Falkirk High) service to half-hourly.

But several commuters have been voicing their anger at ScotRail’s response to the situation, with commuters heading to Fife squashed into a carriage resembling a cage (pictured).

Commuters between Edinburgh Haymarket and Fife were packed into a carriage which has a 'livestock' resemblance. Pic: contributed

One angry commuter on board described it as a “livestock carriage” and said they had no idea what service they were on, as the four trains advertised on the Haymarket board were all delayed or cancelled.

The commuter said: “There are commuters in Calcutta sitting on the roofs of buses that have better conditions.

“Honestly, the carriage was like the cell where they held Dumbo’s mum.

“The only thing missing about the state of the carriage was straw on the floor - where are these new carriages we’ve been promised?”

The scene on the carriage.

They added: “Bigger picture issue is how can CEC (City of Edinburgh Council) expect commuters to shift from cars to trains/buses etc when this is the over-priced, over-delayed and over-squalid alternative?

“The delays and cancelled services were also said to be due to a lack of crew - these crew shortages were an issue highlighted in December but I recall officials saying at the time that it would be resolved in a number of weeks/months... well it’s now mid-March so what is the truth of the matter?”

Another commuter, Katrine Bussey, tweeted that she overheard a ScotRail worker at Edinburgh Waverley saying: “I wish they’d get this sorted, I can’t be bothered with this s***e.”

Other commuters have also vented their anger in response to ScotRail on twitter.

One, @davedownstairs, said: “Absolute shambles. You could at least communicate with passengers who are stuck on trains.”

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