Plea to use new winter Sunday Fort to Mallaig rail services

West Highland rail users have been urged to make use of new Sunday services being introduced on the winter timetable for the West Highland Line, or risk losing them in the longer term.

Users of the West Highland Line have, for many years, been lobbying for the winter timetable to include Sunday services. Up until now the first train into Mallaig on a Sunday in winter would arrive at 11.35pm.

However, thanks to the work of the West Highland Line Review Group, set up by Scottish ministers in response to pressure from groups such as Friends of the West Highland Lines, Lochaber Transport Forum and the West Highland Community Rail Partnership (WHCRP), this has now changed.

ScotRail’s Sunday timetable is now the same all year and as of this weekend there will be three trains leaving Mallaig on a Sunday, two more than last year.

There will also be two additional trains in the other direction, from Fort William to Mallaig. On the main line between Fort William and Glasgow the timetable brings one additional Sunday train in each direction this winter. This means three services going south to Glasgow, including the seated coach on the Caledonian Sleeper.

Going northwards, there will be two Sunday trains, with the midday train out of Glasgow in addition to the existing evening train.

However, while welcoming the news, Hege Hernaes, secretary of the West Highland CRP, issued a warning.

She told the Lochaber Times this week: ‘The strengthened winter Sunday timetable is a trial run which is not included in ScotRail’s franchise obligation. If the take-up is poor, there is no guarantee we will keep the extra winter Sunday services.

‘The WHCRP urges you to make use of the new services, and tell your visitors. Good loadings will demonstrate that the new services are needed, and will encourage them to put on extra services outwith their franchise obligations all year.’