| The MP has long pressed for investment in the facility to be brought up to that enjoyed by stations in other major cities over the past ten years.
He said today that comments made by one of Radio 1’s DJs during the Big Weekend festival underlined the station’s potential to leave visitors with a poor first impression.
He said, “When we hear DJs like Chris Moyles laying into Dundee station, it is clear that the perception we have been let down is not just shared by Dundonians.
“For many people, the first thing they see when they come to Dundee is the station, and despite all Dundee has to offer, the state of our station ends up being their memory.
“There is no reason why Dundee should be treated any differently from other stations of a similar size in Scotland, all of which have had considerably more investment in them than Dundee station has over the past decade.”
Mr McGovern’s campaign has already resulted in meetings with Mary Dickson, chief executive of Scotrail, but these have not led to any firm commitments.
He invited Network Rail executives to tour the site to “help them identify the real problems faced by the station.”
Speaking after the visit today, Mr McGovern expressed his appreciation at the receptiveness of Network Rail staff.
Mr McGovern was accompanied by Dundee West MSP Kate Maclean.
She said, “Dundee is improving rapidly and is becoming an attractive destination for many people to come and visit.
“However, if their first impression and last memory of the city is our shoddy railway station then we are in danger of undoing some of the hard work.”
Mr McGovern also called for tougher controls on the arms trade during a visit to the Oxfam store in the city.
Oxfam has launched a ‘Million Faces Petition’, which is part of a global control arms campaign.
Mr McGovern is supporting the Control Arms ‘100 days of action’, culminating in the petition being presented to world leaders at the United Nations conference on small arms and light weapons in June.
Campaign supporters want governments to agree to an arms trade treaty to ban the export of arms to countries where weapons are used to abuse human rights or defy humanitarian law.
Frances Grogan, shop manager of Oxfam Dundee, said, “People in Dundee can join the petition at their local Oxfam shop, or at www.controlarms.org.” |
