By Gary Cooper

AN ANGUS pensioner has made a compensation call to First Scotrail after she and her elderly aunt endured a nightmare trip across Scotland.

The tortuous travelling has left a bitter taste following a five-day Christmas visit to Ireland by Mary Campbell Addison (63), who lives near Forfar, and an 84-year-old relative from Fife.

Their outward journey from Dundee to Belfast, via the ferry terminal at Stranraer, went without a hitch—but they were unprepared for what awaited them on the return leg by rail.

“The journey going out from Dundee went quite well and we arrived in Belfast safely, but coming home was an absolute nightmare,” said Mary, who has written to First Scotrail complaining about the misery they faced on December 27.

Their return ferry arrived at Stranraer late at 2.25pm, leaving them 12 minutes to catch their train from the nearby station.

“Once we retrieved our suitcases, we hurried over the road to the station to catch the train—with minutes to spare and along with about 100 other people—which was still standing on the platform,” Mary said. “We were about a yard from the train and on the platform, when all of a sudden it took off, leaving us all stranded on the platform.”

Ferry firm Stena Lines provided coaches to take people to Ayr to catch another train and Mary was stunned to be told they were not the only ones to encounter such problems. She said, “A Stena Lines representative told us this happened all the time—passengers on the platform and the train leaves them behind.”

The pair, who had set off from Dublin at 6am, were told on arrival at Ayr their next train would only take them to Paisley.

From Paisley they were bussed to Glasgow Central, where they then had to queue for a taxi to get to Glasgow Queen Street to catch the 5.41pm train to Dundee.

“We missed the train back to Dundee and we had to stand about in the freezing cold station for the next train at 6.40pm,” Mary went on.

Owing to all the changes, they failed to get anything to eat or drink and were looking forward to a cuppa on the stretch from Glasgow to Dundee.

Mary said, “The train, which was going to Aberdeen, did not even have a trolley service. By this time, my aunt was dehydrated and feeling quite faint as she suffers from hypoglycaemia.

“The train arrived back in Dundee at about 8.20 pm, by which time our lift had gone home. My aunt still had to get home to Cupar and I had to get home to Forfar.”

In her letter to the transport company, she added, “I feel that you should recompense us for the inconvenience and anxiety caused by this whole journey.”

First ScotRail said it will, where it can, hold a train for customers to board, but needed to be notified by Stena’s control office that a ferry is running late. But it also had to consider the impact holding a train could have on the wider network and customers further along the route.

The bus service from Paisley was due to Network Rail engineering works over the festive period, including 27 December—so no trains ran through to Glasgow Central.

A First ScotRail spokesman said, “As is our policy, we will liaise directly with the customer with regards to her complaint.”