Group’s call to get trains back on track from May

The Friends of the West Highland Lines has reported that in the new rail timetable Oban has lost two of its six daily trains, while the Caledonian Sleeper to Fort William has been temporarily suspended.

The group said it understood the need to temporarily withdraw some Scottish train services due to the Covid-related collapse in passenger numbers.

However, with the vaccination programme under way, it said it was time to plan for a relaunch of train services from May 2021 to help kickstart the West Highland tourism industry. It has called for the full ‘pre-pandemic’ West Highland train services to be restored from May, with special ticket offers and a summer marketing campaign to attract communities back to using the train and to help boost visitor numbers.

It said ‘leisure rail travel’ is expected to rebound faster than commuting over the next year or two. It said the opportunity should be taken to capitalise on the potential of the scenic West Highland Lines with an ‘enterprising timetable’ designed for 2022 with additional trains giving a more frequent service and high quality travel experience. It has also said the Oban to Fort William bus service could be upgraded to introduce new round-trip tourist excursions by West Highland train and bus via Oban, Appin and Fort William.

A statement said: ‘Oban should also be connected to London and the south via the Caledonian Sleeper. New zero-emission hybrid electric/battery or hydrogen trains with comfortable seats and panoramic windows should be constructed for Scotland’s scenic railways as part of Transport Scotland’s decarbonisation plans. This would allow the West Highlands to become a world-leading green rail tourism destination.'