11.04.13
ScotRail passenger numbers continue to grow
Passenger numbers on ScotRail have grown for the ninth consecutive year, new figures show. 83.3 million passengers were carried by rail in the year ending 31 March 2013 – up 2.6% on last year’s figures.
Steve Montgomery, ScotRail’s managing director, said: “The rise in passenger numbers is pleasing and shows we are connecting even more communities, helping to grow the economy and encouraging people out of their cars onto public transport.
“There’s still more to be done, and we will continue to expand services and improve the customer experience.”
Transport minister Keith Brown said: “The Scottish Government is committed to encouraging more people onto the railways and I am delighted to see that the work we have done in partnership with ScotRail has again resulted in record passenger numbers.
“The train is a more environmentally friendly way of getting around which benefits the nation as a whole through improvements to the health of the population and reduced congestion, and therefore greater safety on our roads.
“Thanks to our record investment in Scotland's railways, passengers know they can experience more reliable train journeys than ever before.
“Many of our current and upcoming developments, as well as recent announcements to bear down on fares, will see further improvements and I look forward to seeing a continuation of the trend of more and more people opting for the train.”
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