First ScotRail directors visit Invergordon Station to view award-winning murals and highlight future service improvements
Tuesday 21 October 2008
The Invergordon murals were created by renowned artist Tracey Shough under First ScotRail’s Adopt a Station scheme which aims to put stations at the heart of their communities. Commissioned by Invergordon community group ‘Off the Wall’, the murals are a tribute to the Seaforth Highlanders‘ famous stance at Dunkirk to delay Rommel’s advancing tanks during the Second World War
The murals came third in the community art category in the 2008 Community Rail Awards and, together with the installation of flower planters on the platform, have resulted in a much improved environment for customers.
Marion Rhind, Vice Chair of Off the Wall, a charity dedicated to Invergordon’s regeneration and to promoting community involvement, said the murals are a lasting tribute to the Seaforth Highlanders.”
She added: “Tracey Shough worked successfully with all ages in the community to transform the station building into an eloquent canvas that sings out our story.”
First ScotRail customers will also benefit from improved travel options when the winter timetable is introduced in December.
These include –
• A fourth service from Inverness to Wick
• An additional commuter service to Inverness
• A late night train from Inverness to Tain on Friday and Saturday nights, and:
• Three Sunday services, each way, between Tain and Inverness, and a fourth train each way between Invergordon and Inverness
Peter Williams, commercial director of First ScotRail said: “We are delighted to be able to deliver timetable improvements which, together with a more pleasant station environment, will improve the overall journey experience for our customers.”
The visit is part of a week-long tour of Scotland to celebrate the fourth anniversary of First ScotRail. The train company has continued to make strong progress over the past 12 months. Highlights include:
• Record levels of overall customer satisfaction – at 88%, eight percentage points higher than the national average among UK train operators.
• Continued strong performance – with delays caused by First ScotRail cut by 50%
• Passenger growth – up 4% year on year and 20% in four years
• Winning the ‘UK Passenger Operator of the Year’ title at the prestigious National Rail Awards last month
Since launched in September 2005, First ScotRail’s ‘Adopt a Station’ scheme has gone from strength to strength and now has more than 60 stations adopted by individuals, community groups and businesses
Media enquiries:
Lally Cowell, PR Manager, First ScotRail, Tel. 0141 335 4788 / lally.cowell@firstgroup.com
First ScotRail out of hours - 07738 141 198 / www.firstscotrail.com
Notes to Editors
• First ScotRail provides more than 2,100 services a day
• There are now more than 81million passenger journeys a year on our network.
• First ScotRail gained Investor in People accreditation this year. With 4,300 employees, we are one of the largest private sector organisations in Scotland with such approval.