Broughty Ferry councillor Laurie Bidwell has appealed to ScotRail to provide an hourly train service.
He was speaking after Broughty Ferry Community Council confirmed that the train company’s external relations manager is to address one of its meetings later this year.
John Yellowlees will be at the gathering in November and one of the items he will be covering is the new timetable to be introduced the following month.
Last December, ScotRail increased the number of services stopping at the Dundee suburb from four to 13, and Mr Bidwell hopes the ScotRail chief will announce a further increase.
”I understand passenger numbers using trains to and from Broughty Ferry have risen significantly since the increase in the number of stopping trains on the timetable that came into force in December 2011,” he said.
”What would make a significant boost to passenger numbers is the development of a consistent hourly service to Glasgow and Aberdeen, with changes in Dundee for services to Edinburgh.
”This would not only be more predictable for the travelling public, but good for ScotRail revenues and kinder to the environment.
”I hope John Yellowlees won’t be coming empty handed to the Ferry. We could do with some good news about more stopping trains at our station on the new timetable coming into force a couple of weeks before Christmas.
”People in Broughty Ferry deserve a regular train service to match the improvements on the platform such as the digital information screens,” he added.
”We also need a regular and frequent train service between Dundee and the Ferry so that, when the V&A opens in 2015, visitors can easily extend their visit from the waterfront site in Dundee to the centre of Broughty Ferry.”
Mr Bidwell said it would be ideal if Broughty Ferry could be given an hourly service, given the area’s status as Dundee’s main commuter suburb.
Many calls have been made in the past for such a service, but these have always been answered by the railway company contending that stopping more trains at Broughty Ferry would slow down too many inter-city services.
”I’m aware of the arguments against this, but I would say trains are already slowing down or picking up speed on that part of the line to get to or from Dundee,” the councillor continued.
”Would it really be all that difficult to arrange for some to actually stop at Broughty Ferry, given that it is just a few minutes from Dundee?
”Commuter stations are opening or are being reopened all over Scotland, so this is an issue that’s probably been tackled elsewhere.
”I would hope that the more trains that stop at Broughty Ferry the more Broughty Ferry people will use them, so it could be profitable for ScotRail to heed this request.”