The Borders Railway has missed the monthly target yet again for trains arriving on time.
New figures released in a performance update by Scotrail show that between the 22nd July and the 18th August only 86.7% of trains that terminated at Tweedbank arrived within 5 minutes of their booked arrival time.
This was below the national average for the same period of 88.2% and below the target of 92.13%.
On a typical weekday 33 trains terminate at Tweedbank meaning between 4 and 5 trains are more than 5 minutes late per day on average.
Figures also show that over the period only 48.6% of trains arrived on time which is a measurement of how many trains terminated within 59 seconds of their booked arrival slot.
Rachael Hamilton, MSP for Ettrick, Roxburgh & Berwickshire said ‘I have heard from local businesses that they have been enjoying a boost in trade as a result of the Edinburgh Festival, with tourists coming down to the Borders on the train for a day out'
‘However, delays in public transport will have soured their otherwise lovely day in the Scottish Borders.’
‘It worries me that even when there are no weather issues such as snow or leaves on the line, Scotrail still struggle to achieve their targets on the Borders Railway’
John Lamont, MP for Berwickshire, Roxburgh & Selkirk added “These are disappointing results, particularly when passengers are repeatedly told that performance on the Borders Railway will get better. For nearly one in six trains to be leaving or arriving significantly late is simply not good enough.
“The campaign to extend the railway to Hawick and onto Carlisle is not helped by a poor performance of the current line to Tweedbank. We need the service to be as reliable as possible so that it is well used and brings economic benefit to the Borders.”