Let the landtrain take the strain
Stirling’s landtrain will be back on city streets this week.
It will be taking passengers on its familiar route, from Murray Place up to the Castle, on Saturday and on Sunday when crowds will gather for the switching on of Stirling’s Christmas lights.
Go Forth, the organisation behind Stirling’s Business Improvement District, bought the land train in the hope it will attract tourists and encourage them to visits different parts of the city.
Go Forth BID director Jon Walton said the train will run every weekend from this weekend up to December 17, and then every day through to Christmas Eve, and from Boxing Day to Hogmanay.
The land train was successfully trialled in Stirling at Easter but it was bedevilled by technical problems and other issues and didn’t properly return until the October school holiday week.
Mr Walton said it would be free to passengers during the run up to Christmas and Hogmanay.
He added:“We wanted to run it throughout the summer but because of circumstances beyond our control, we were unable to do so. For that reason, by way of an apology, we going to offer it as a free service until the end of the year.”
Mr Walton said early next year he would present to the BID board a report on the landtrain’s future operation and a recommendation on whether a charge should be levied.
He anticipates that it will run next year from Easter until October.
A total of 1900 people used it during the school week even though it only ran for four-and-a -half days after suffering damage to its outer shell while garaged. Mr Walton said the BID had also paid for supplementary Christmas lighting in the city centre.
Additional lights were to be added to trees in Station Road, Upper Craigs, Baker Street Gardens, Friars Street and Broad Street.
There will be three large illuminated installations at the top of Station Road: two large reindeer and one large Santa hat for selfies.
Visitors to the city on Sunday can also expect a host of street entertainers.