The announcement that only £3.9 million per year is to be spent on making railway stations accessible is a huge kick in the teeth for disabled passengers. In publicity this week it was suggested that only one station in Glasgow, Mount Florida, is in the pipeline to be upgraded. 

The SNP demands that more funds be made available to speed up this programme. In Glasgow alone many stations are not accessible by wheelchair. Busy stations like Hyndland, High Street, and much of the Cathcart Circle can only be reached by stairs. How many years will it take for every Glasgow station to be accessible? And this is not to mention the Subway which is too small to take wheelchairs on the trains.

John Mason, SNP Group Leader, said of Tavish Scott's announcement, "There are obviously real challenges to bring a Victorian railway system into the 21st century. However, moving at this pace is basically saying to the disabled that it's tough luck and there is no prospect of their being able to use the train system fully in our lifetime. I am surprised Mr Scott was not too embarrassed to have his name attached to this announcement."