Hiya
At about 08:15 this morning, I heard the welcome sound of a train horn and then the train going past. It was the 08:11 service from Oban to Glasgow. We're back on track! ScotRail have removed any notices regarding the derailment of 6 June from their website.
CityLink should also be back to normal services between Oban and Glasgow, but you wouldn't know it from their Service Update page, which still has the same fairly useless information (useless because they didn't think to insert the date of the rock fall/derailment but have a note saying, "The disruption to the above services is expected to last 2-3 days until such time as the A85 is fully reopened between Tyndrum and Connel following the removal of the derailed train.").
And for once forArgyll has failed to update on their information concerning this closure, as well, which is disappointing because they're usually on the ball.
Showing posts with label FirstScotrail. Show all posts
Showing posts with label FirstScotrail. Show all posts
Monday, June 14, 2010
Monday, January 05, 2009
Icy Oban morning -- Oban train station
Hello again
On the day of my friend's departure, the sun rose beyond Soroba in a perfectly cloudless sky. It was quite cold, but far less so than elsewhere in Europe.
Just before midday, we walked to the train station of Oban for her train. Some impressions:
Yes, MB, that's you on the train there, beyond the reflections... :)
Usually, just two carriages come into and go out of Oban three times a day. In the busy summer season, the train meeting the noontime ferry has four carriages. FirstScotrail have done much to tart up the outward appearance, but my friend arrived frozen to her bones, having had to shiver her way across icy highland hills in an unheated train! Unbelievable! Granted, the fares are lower than on Swiss trains, and the trains as such are quite comfortable, but to allow carriages to remain unheated in mid-winter is appalling. And it is shocking to find that this important railway connection still consists of mostly just one track, which slows down travel times and makes it hard to increase the number of trains running each day. Also, I have yet to see a single freight train coming into town -- I can see the track running along the hillside below Soroba...
However, let me end this post on a less than gripy note. Monday, 5 January, was simply beyond description, absolutely gorgeous. This is one of the views that met travellers coming off the train.
And this is another one, a few paces further out:
Oban marina and one of the mountains on Mull through the metalwork of a fishing boat in Oban harbour.
On the day of my friend's departure, the sun rose beyond Soroba in a perfectly cloudless sky. It was quite cold, but far less so than elsewhere in Europe.
Just before midday, we walked to the train station of Oban for her train. Some impressions:
Yes, MB, that's you on the train there, beyond the reflections... :)Usually, just two carriages come into and go out of Oban three times a day. In the busy summer season, the train meeting the noontime ferry has four carriages. FirstScotrail have done much to tart up the outward appearance, but my friend arrived frozen to her bones, having had to shiver her way across icy highland hills in an unheated train! Unbelievable! Granted, the fares are lower than on Swiss trains, and the trains as such are quite comfortable, but to allow carriages to remain unheated in mid-winter is appalling. And it is shocking to find that this important railway connection still consists of mostly just one track, which slows down travel times and makes it hard to increase the number of trains running each day. Also, I have yet to see a single freight train coming into town -- I can see the track running along the hillside below Soroba...
However, let me end this post on a less than gripy note. Monday, 5 January, was simply beyond description, absolutely gorgeous. This is one of the views that met travellers coming off the train.
And this is another one, a few paces further out:
Oban marina and one of the mountains on Mull through the metalwork of a fishing boat in Oban harbour.Cheerioh!
Sunday, October 29, 2006
Frustrated
Hello again
Have just tried to buy a ticket for a forthcoming trip in Scotland. Impossible to do. The FirstScotrail website -- their slogan is 'transforming travel' -- claims that you can book and buy tickets from outside the U.K. But you have to become a 'member' to buy a ticket. However, their signup interface does not allow for non-UK addresses, so there's no way you can become a member unless you live in the U.K.
I hate this sort of thing, which happens all the time. It's such a waste of time. For example, for my previous visit to Scotland (about five weeks ago), I wanted to prebook a bus ticket from Glasgow to the west coast. Again, impossible to do from abroad, even though the bus company (TransportDirect) claimed it was possible. By the time I was on site, the price had tripled! I suppose there must be some Scottish blood in my veins, or I wouldn't feel so peeved at this kind of thing.
They have these fancy names but pre-travel service could be better. Mind you, I will say that the bus journey from Lochgilphead to Glasgow was comfortable and quick. It was also quite interesting to be sitting in front of two teenagers discussing and sharing their favourite music with each other. They were off on a holiday to France, and the mum of one of them hopped on to the bus to say a quick farewell. Her girl was dead embarrassed, really, but then, waving to her mother as the bus was taking off, she said to her friend, 'My Mum loves me,' and sounded really satisfied. Well done, Mum! (She was about ten years younger than I, and her daughter beautiful and funny. Yes, I was envious!)
Otherwise, everything is hunky dory. The gorgeous weather, however, has broken -- today was a dreich kind of day, but at least it wasn't too cold. And an orange balloon had got caught in a tree outside, looking like a lumped-together bunch of leaves.
The leaves are still spectacular but coming off the trees fast now. The sycamores are still decked with huge bunches of seeds, but the other morning, after a stormy night, my balcony was littered with them.
At 6:30PM the other day, Thursday, this was the view from my office window. Perhaps this time, you can see the cross in the Jungfrau's main face:
More anon. Must go. Ciao!
Have just tried to buy a ticket for a forthcoming trip in Scotland. Impossible to do. The FirstScotrail website -- their slogan is 'transforming travel' -- claims that you can book and buy tickets from outside the U.K. But you have to become a 'member' to buy a ticket. However, their signup interface does not allow for non-UK addresses, so there's no way you can become a member unless you live in the U.K.
I hate this sort of thing, which happens all the time. It's such a waste of time. For example, for my previous visit to Scotland (about five weeks ago), I wanted to prebook a bus ticket from Glasgow to the west coast. Again, impossible to do from abroad, even though the bus company (TransportDirect) claimed it was possible. By the time I was on site, the price had tripled! I suppose there must be some Scottish blood in my veins, or I wouldn't feel so peeved at this kind of thing.
They have these fancy names but pre-travel service could be better. Mind you, I will say that the bus journey from Lochgilphead to Glasgow was comfortable and quick. It was also quite interesting to be sitting in front of two teenagers discussing and sharing their favourite music with each other. They were off on a holiday to France, and the mum of one of them hopped on to the bus to say a quick farewell. Her girl was dead embarrassed, really, but then, waving to her mother as the bus was taking off, she said to her friend, 'My Mum loves me,' and sounded really satisfied. Well done, Mum! (She was about ten years younger than I, and her daughter beautiful and funny. Yes, I was envious!)
Otherwise, everything is hunky dory. The gorgeous weather, however, has broken -- today was a dreich kind of day, but at least it wasn't too cold. And an orange balloon had got caught in a tree outside, looking like a lumped-together bunch of leaves.
The leaves are still spectacular but coming off the trees fast now. The sycamores are still decked with huge bunches of seeds, but the other morning, after a stormy night, my balcony was littered with them.
At 6:30PM the other day, Thursday, this was the view from my office window. Perhaps this time, you can see the cross in the Jungfrau's main face:
More anon. Must go. Ciao!
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