The Press and Journal (Inverness, Highlands, and Islands)
Cautious welcome for bus link
Transport: Business community fears it may lose out on Sleeper service to Oban
The announcement of a new bus service linking Oban to the Caledonian Sleeper train from London at Crianlarich has been met with caution.
While the Oban business community welcomed the news, they said they hoped this would not put the brakes on any plans for a direct train link from the capital to the west coast town.
Last year Oban got a taste of the service currently enjoyed by Fort William when the Caledonian Sleeper called for three weekends due to engineering works.
The company said it was keen to explore the possibility of extending the route.
Yesterday it announced the introduction of a connecting bus service at Crianlarich to Oban with the London train.
Oban Councillor Roddy McCuish, policy lead for roads and amenity services at Argyll and Bute Council, said: “I really do appreciate the fact that they are putting on a bus, but after the trial period last year was so successful I hope this doesn’t stop them from bringing the Sleeper right into Oban.”
Derek Connery, chief executive of Bid4Oban, said: “The trial of sleeper services into Oban was very successful. The Caledonian Sleeper did express interest in having a route to Oban, but this wouldn’t be considered until after the rolling stock replacement in 2018.
“I would hope that the bus connection doesn’t rule us out from having the Sleeper services in the future. However, anything that improves Oban’s connectivity with the wider world is to be welcomed.”
Partnering with West Coast Motors and funded by Transport Scotland, the overnight rail service is running a non-stop bus link for a 14-week trial period between Crianlarich railway station and the popular resort town.
This will allow guests to take a direct route to Oban without having to wait at Crianlarich for connecting rail services.
Ryan Flaherty, Serco’s guest experience director at Caledonian Sleeper, said: “The current trial bus service will help us to test customer appetite and inform our long-term planning about the possibility of extending the current routes, although those would be future decisions, discussed with Transport Scotland.
“As we continue to make improvements to Caledonian Sleeper over the next 15 years, we are open to the possibility of connecting our services to different destinations and welcome feedback.”