West Highland Line timetable

Transport forum welcomes trials

Lochaber Transport Forum has welcomed news from ScotRail of a trial to boost services on the inconic West Highland Line, writes Mark Entwistle.

The West Highland Line will move to its winter timetable for the final time on Monday this week.

Starting in March 2019, an all-year-round Sunday timetable will be introduced.

The changes will mean two return trips between Mallaig and Glasgow, and an additional return trip between Mallaig and Fort William, running every Sunday, throughout the year. Currently only one return trip operates between Mallaig and Glasgow on Sundays between November and March.

ScotRail says this demonstrates its commitment to increasing services to meet the ever-growing demand which will see the end of the traditional summer and winter variations.

ScotRail Head of Business Development Scott Prentice commented: ‘We have been working closely with key stakeholders in the area to understand how ScotRail can better serve local businesses and communities.

‘We are delighted that we will be able to provide a boost for people travelling on the West Highland Line with our new timetable.

‘This is a first step in a series of improvements which will be achieved through the collaborative working of West Highland Line review group.

‘Lochaber, as the Outdoor Capital of the UK, has firmly established itself as an allyear-round destination and we are seeing more and more people travel by rail in what used to be the ‘off season’. We will trial an improved Sunday service next year and, with the help of our partners in Lochaber, are confident that it will be well used by tourists and locals alike and become a permanent feature. It’s all part of our plan to build the best railway Scotland has ever had.’

Lochaber Transport Forum chairman Brian Murphy said: ‘The transport forum has been campaigning for this for some time as it has been obvious that demand for more services has increased because of our almost yearround tourist season.

‘We also look forward to the conclusions of the current West Highland Line review which we hope will demonstrate the need for even more service improvements.’