On 11 November 2008, I had the opportunity to hold an Adjournment Debate, in which I said that although Lockerbie station is situated in Scotland, the train services at that station are regulated by the Department for Transport, because they are all cross-border services. The basic message from the Department in response to that debate was that there was insufficient demand for additional services at that station and that the Department was not willing to look at the timetable, which in December 2008 saw a reduction in services between Lockerbie and Glasgow and Edinburgh of some 40 per cent. Since that time, some 2,300 people have signed a petition, which I was able to hand to the Secretary of State for Transport today. This evening I am presenting a similar petition to the House.

The petition states:

The Petition of users of Lockerbie Station and others,

Declares the anger of users of Lockerbie Station at the 40 per cent. cut in the number of rail services between Lockerbie and Glasgow or Edinburgh in the new time-table operational from December 2008; regrets the failure to provide the much promised early morning direct service to Edinburgh in that timetable; and notes the increased need to use connecting trains when travelling to or from the South.

The Petitioners therefore request that the House of Commons call upon the Secretary of State for Transport to, firstly, reconsider the recent cuts to the number of services serving Lockerbie and, secondly, to instigate the introduction of a 'balanced' timetable designed to meet the needs of Lockerbie station users, and specifically to allow commuters to travel from Lockerbie to and from Glasgow and Edinburgh at times suitable for the start and end of the normal working day and to allow return from Edinburgh and Glasgow late in the evening so that people in the South of Scotland can take advantage of evening entertainment in these cities.

And the Petitioners remain, etc.

[P000343]