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 public transport. Show all posts
Showing posts with label public transport. Show all posts
Monday, June 14, 2010
Saturday, June 12, 2010
Derailed train lifted off the rails near Cruachan Power Station on Loch Awe, Argyll, Scotland
Hiya
You will have heard about the train derailment near Cruachan Power Station on Loch Awe, Argyll, last Sunday evening. Eight people had to be taken to local hospitals, luckily only with minor injuries. The derailed carriage at the head of the train was hanging down the steep slope, anchored by the rear carriage and some trees. Due to the location of the incident, above the outflow of the reservoir and overhanging the road platform built out above the loch, the road had to be closed to traffic. It took some time to reinforce it for the heavy crane.
Once again, we have experienced just how tenuous links can be to the "outside world": whole villages were cut off from their trains because replacement buses had to make the long detour via Ballachulish, Glen Coe and Rannoch Moor. It is only since yesterday that a mini-bus service has been put on between Oban and Taynuilt:
http://forargyll.com/2010/06/a85-closure-scotrail-to-run-oban-taynuilt-minibus-from-11th-june/
Yesterday, 11th June, the de-railed carriage was at last lifted off the rail. According to the Oban Times, "a one thousand ton crane" was used. It is hoped that the road will be reopened by Wednesday. When the trains will run again still remains to be seen.
and
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/8736322.stm
You will have heard about the train derailment near Cruachan Power Station on Loch Awe, Argyll, last Sunday evening. Eight people had to be taken to local hospitals, luckily only with minor injuries. The derailed carriage at the head of the train was hanging down the steep slope, anchored by the rear carriage and some trees. Due to the location of the incident, above the outflow of the reservoir and overhanging the road platform built out above the loch, the road had to be closed to traffic. It took some time to reinforce it for the heavy crane.
Once again, we have experienced just how tenuous links can be to the "outside world": whole villages were cut off from their trains because replacement buses had to make the long detour via Ballachulish, Glen Coe and Rannoch Moor. It is only since yesterday that a mini-bus service has been put on between Oban and Taynuilt:
http://forargyll.com/2010/06/a85-closure-scotrail-to-run-oban-taynuilt-minibus-from-11th-june/
Yesterday, 11th June, the de-railed carriage was at last lifted off the rail. According to the Oban Times, "a one thousand ton crane" was used. It is hoped that the road will be reopened by Wednesday. When the trains will run again still remains to be seen.
and
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/8736322.stm
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
Wasteful transport policies in times of skyrocketing fuel prices
Hello again / Hiya!
The local weekly paper last week carried an article that illustrates some of the wasteful policies that beset our lovely world, i.e. two rivalling bus companies operating services to and from Glasgow within minutes of each other, and at roughly the same times as the train.
Have a read yourselves. I'm sure the OT have no objections to my giving their paper some space on this blog (click on the subject line above to go straight to their website).
I am gratified to see that I am not alone in wondering about such wasteful policies, which is why I am including two letters to the editors of the Oban Times, one about the issue of rivalling buses/trains, the other one an appeal from an MP to provide evidence of hardship the high fuel prices are causing to the population here.
I end today's post with a copy of a letter that I just sent off to the editors of the Oban Times. It ties in with the subject.
Cheers! Peace.
***
The Oban Times, July 17, 2008 – Front page:
'Bus war' companies reach agreement
West Coast Motors to resume Citylink service
TWO rival bus companies engaged in a bus war over services between Oban and Glasgow and Campbeltown and the city have reached an agreement.
From September West Coast Motors will resume as the contractor for Scottish Citylink's service between the two towns and Glasgow.
The previous contract between the two companies, which had run for the last 22 years, expired in May [2008] and the companies failed to reach an agreement.
But Scottish Citylink confirmed this week that successful terms and conditions had been agreed between the two parties and a new service contract would start on September 29 [2008].
'Very happy'
Colin Craig, managing director of West Coast Motors, said: 'We are very happy to have agreed terms that will restore network stability for the foreseeable future, which is good news for our customers.
'Our dedicated team of staff will continue to provide the very highest standards of coach travel in partnership with Scottish Citylink.'
Tom Wileman, Scottish Citylink's managing director, said: 'We are delighted to confirm that we will be continuing our long relationship with West Coast Motors after reaching an agreement over the renewal of our contract with them.'
4,000 weekly customers
An average of 4,000 people travel to and from Oban, Campbeltown and Glasgow by bus every week.
The service will run three times a day in each direction to Citylink's current timetable but in West Coast Motor branded buses.
***
OT Letters to the editor
PO Box 1, Oban, Argyll, PA34 4HB
email: editor@obantimes.co.uk
www.obantimes.co.uk
Telephone: [0044] (0)1631 568000
Fax: [0044] (0)1631 568001
Bus service anger
Sir,
Fuel costs are at an all time high, so it is ridiculous and irresponsible that two competing bus operators are offering services between Oban and Glasgow at times within a few minutes of each other.
To make matters worse, the bus times published by Citylink and West Coast Motors are roughly the same times as the train – early morning, midday and evening.
It is an acknowledged fact that a large percentage of the travelling public are seniors or other people whose travel is funded in full or partly out of the public purse. Why is this competition allowed when it is of absolutely no value to the public?
For the most part, these bus services operate at little more than half capacity, sometimes much less.
Doubling up of the bus services confuses the public, is a waste of precious fuel and adds to pollution.
Rationalisation of times so that rail and/or bus services are evenly spread throughout the day would help enormously and encourage more use of public transport, rather than the car as an easy option. To make this work the bus services need to embark on a cohesive marketing strategy to encourage people away from cars.
The West Coast Motors office in George Street [Oban] recently told me there is no bus service this year from Oban to Dundee.
When I challenged this I was told West Coast Motors no longer gives out any information about Citylink services. This type of unhelpful or mis-information could be misleading to tourists and others.
Jim Heward, Oban.
Fuel appeal
Sir,
The high price of fuel is causing severe problems in Argyll and Bute.
I have argued strongly for the government to reduce fuel duty on fuel sold at pumps in remote areas.
I also went with other Highlands and Islands MPs to the Treasury to put the case for reducing fuel duty here. Treasury Ministers promised they will consider any evidence presented to them of the problems that high fuel prices are causing.
I am hopeful we can persuade the government to reduce fuel duty in remote areas, but we need to present the government with evidence of the problems high prices are causing.
I would be grateful if readers could write to me, spelling out the problems that high fuel prices are causing them either personally or to their business if they are running one.
I will present this evidence to the Treasury and use it to try to persuade them to reduce the fuel duty in Argyll and Bute.
Alan Reid MP, 95 Alexandra Parade, Dunoon, Argyll.
***
"Bus War" between Scottish Citylink and West Coast Motors, Oban Times, July 17, 2008
Sir
In reference to the "bus war" between the two bus companies, my Swiss friend wanted to travel back to Glasgow last Thursday morning, July 17, on the first Citylink bus out of Oban. The web-based timetable and the ticket she had bought online both stated the bus would leave at 07:25AM. We were very surprised to find that a West Coast Motor coach did indeed drive up at about that time. The chauffeur, however, turned my friend away, saying she did not have a ticket for his bus and telling her to wait for the Citylink bus, which would be along shortly. When I called Citylink to find out where their bus was, I was told there was no service from Oban to Glasgow at 07:25AM. The Citylink coach only arrived at 07:45AM and actually left, with exactly three passengers on board, at 07:55AM. My friend had a fairly nerve-racking journey to Glasgow, wondering whether the half-hour delay in her travel schedule would allow her to catch her London-bound flight.
I could not agree more wholeheartedly with your writer Jim Heward's letter, published in the same OT as your article on the incomprehensible, wasteful "war" between the two bus companies. Why -- in these times of skyrocketing fuel prices -- they have to wait until September to resume a combined service is absolutely beyond me.
Margaret P[...]J[…], Oban [July 22, 2008]
The local weekly paper last week carried an article that illustrates some of the wasteful policies that beset our lovely world, i.e. two rivalling bus companies operating services to and from Glasgow within minutes of each other, and at roughly the same times as the train.
Have a read yourselves. I'm sure the OT have no objections to my giving their paper some space on this blog (click on the subject line above to go straight to their website).
I am gratified to see that I am not alone in wondering about such wasteful policies, which is why I am including two letters to the editors of the Oban Times, one about the issue of rivalling buses/trains, the other one an appeal from an MP to provide evidence of hardship the high fuel prices are causing to the population here.
I end today's post with a copy of a letter that I just sent off to the editors of the Oban Times. It ties in with the subject.
Cheers! Peace.
***
The Oban Times, July 17, 2008 – Front page:
'Bus war' companies reach agreement
West Coast Motors to resume Citylink service
TWO rival bus companies engaged in a bus war over services between Oban and Glasgow and Campbeltown and the city have reached an agreement.
From September West Coast Motors will resume as the contractor for Scottish Citylink's service between the two towns and Glasgow.
The previous contract between the two companies, which had run for the last 22 years, expired in May [2008] and the companies failed to reach an agreement.
But Scottish Citylink confirmed this week that successful terms and conditions had been agreed between the two parties and a new service contract would start on September 29 [2008].
'Very happy'
Colin Craig, managing director of West Coast Motors, said: 'We are very happy to have agreed terms that will restore network stability for the foreseeable future, which is good news for our customers.
'Our dedicated team of staff will continue to provide the very highest standards of coach travel in partnership with Scottish Citylink.'
Tom Wileman, Scottish Citylink's managing director, said: 'We are delighted to confirm that we will be continuing our long relationship with West Coast Motors after reaching an agreement over the renewal of our contract with them.'
4,000 weekly customers
An average of 4,000 people travel to and from Oban, Campbeltown and Glasgow by bus every week.
The service will run three times a day in each direction to Citylink's current timetable but in West Coast Motor branded buses.
***
OT Letters to the editor
PO Box 1, Oban, Argyll, PA34 4HB
email: editor@obantimes.co.uk
www.obantimes.co.uk
Telephone: [0044] (0)1631 568000
Fax: [0044] (0)1631 568001
Bus service anger
Sir,
Fuel costs are at an all time high, so it is ridiculous and irresponsible that two competing bus operators are offering services between Oban and Glasgow at times within a few minutes of each other.
To make matters worse, the bus times published by Citylink and West Coast Motors are roughly the same times as the train – early morning, midday and evening.
It is an acknowledged fact that a large percentage of the travelling public are seniors or other people whose travel is funded in full or partly out of the public purse. Why is this competition allowed when it is of absolutely no value to the public?
For the most part, these bus services operate at little more than half capacity, sometimes much less.
Doubling up of the bus services confuses the public, is a waste of precious fuel and adds to pollution.
Rationalisation of times so that rail and/or bus services are evenly spread throughout the day would help enormously and encourage more use of public transport, rather than the car as an easy option. To make this work the bus services need to embark on a cohesive marketing strategy to encourage people away from cars.
The West Coast Motors office in George Street [Oban] recently told me there is no bus service this year from Oban to Dundee.
When I challenged this I was told West Coast Motors no longer gives out any information about Citylink services. This type of unhelpful or mis-information could be misleading to tourists and others.
Jim Heward, Oban.
Fuel appeal
Sir,
The high price of fuel is causing severe problems in Argyll and Bute.
I have argued strongly for the government to reduce fuel duty on fuel sold at pumps in remote areas.
I also went with other Highlands and Islands MPs to the Treasury to put the case for reducing fuel duty here. Treasury Ministers promised they will consider any evidence presented to them of the problems that high fuel prices are causing.
I am hopeful we can persuade the government to reduce fuel duty in remote areas, but we need to present the government with evidence of the problems high prices are causing.
I would be grateful if readers could write to me, spelling out the problems that high fuel prices are causing them either personally or to their business if they are running one.
I will present this evidence to the Treasury and use it to try to persuade them to reduce the fuel duty in Argyll and Bute.
Alan Reid MP, 95 Alexandra Parade, Dunoon, Argyll.
***
"Bus War" between Scottish Citylink and West Coast Motors, Oban Times, July 17, 2008
Sir
In reference to the "bus war" between the two bus companies, my Swiss friend wanted to travel back to Glasgow last Thursday morning, July 17, on the first Citylink bus out of Oban. The web-based timetable and the ticket she had bought online both stated the bus would leave at 07:25AM. We were very surprised to find that a West Coast Motor coach did indeed drive up at about that time. The chauffeur, however, turned my friend away, saying she did not have a ticket for his bus and telling her to wait for the Citylink bus, which would be along shortly. When I called Citylink to find out where their bus was, I was told there was no service from Oban to Glasgow at 07:25AM. The Citylink coach only arrived at 07:45AM and actually left, with exactly three passengers on board, at 07:55AM. My friend had a fairly nerve-racking journey to Glasgow, wondering whether the half-hour delay in her travel schedule would allow her to catch her London-bound flight.
I could not agree more wholeheartedly with your writer Jim Heward's letter, published in the same OT as your article on the incomprehensible, wasteful "war" between the two bus companies. Why -- in these times of skyrocketing fuel prices -- they have to wait until September to resume a combined service is absolutely beyond me.
Margaret P[...]J[…], Oban [July 22, 2008]
Wednesday, November 22, 2006
Wee note from Auld Reekie
Hi again
Haven't got my photo act together and anyway it might be difficult to upload pix on a computer at an internet cafe but did want to just make a note of what a spectacularly beautiful day I had yesterday. I'm in Edinburgh at the moment, aka Auld Reekie, exploring the city and meeting new people. Very interesting experience, and very different from my original plans for this visit.
Anyway, yesterday I spent hours up on Castle Hill exploring Edinburgh Castle and taking dozens of photographs. Clear blue sky, perfect views across the Firth of Forth and out towards the east. Arthur's Seat and the Salisbury Crags are just spectacularly fascinating geological formations. The Castle itself also sits atop a volcano that's been extinct for millions of years. Listening to my landlady's advice I got myself kitted out with an audioguide, which provided fascinating information. She had also advised going early and starting at the top, i.e. at St. Margaret's Chapel -- had to see why a 12th century chapel was named in honour of that ancient namesake of mine... Poignant story, actually. Raised in Poland, she was brought over to Scotland to meet her husband-to-be, King David. Happily, they fell madly in love with each other. But he was a bit of a tearaway, went off to fight the English and was treacherously murdered just as he was about to return home. One of his sons had to bear the sad tidings to his mother, who was already ailing and died a few weeks later of a broken heart. (At any rate, that's how I remember the story I heard yesterday.)
A few hundred years later, another Queen, I forget which one, gave birth to her baby son in a tiny room, more of a walk-in closet, really, than a bedroom, albeit with a small window -- confinement taken literally -- next to her sumptuous bedroom, which affords gorgeous views south-west. The great reception rooms next door have been renovated beautifully to ancient patterns and examples and are now being used occasionally for state receptions.
Have had a good time so far, with the weather behaving better than I had expected. Only got a bit wet the day before yesterday, when the skies opened just as everyone was knocking off work, and the wind drove the rain sideways. Very unpleasant, indeed. But everyone very chummy about it and bus drivers generously allowing me to use their buses even though my bus pass didn't really cover their lines.
Ah, that's a bit of a gripe with me: bus transport in Edinburgh. Very, VERY confusing! Apparently it's confusing even for the locals. For one thing, there are about four or five companies operating buses into and out of Edinburgh. One or two of them operate in the city centre as well as beyond. The stops have signs but you have to go right up close to them to be able to read them. The shelters obscure the signs so you can't read them as you stand inside. The shelters also obstruct the pavement: woe to anyone wanting to pull or carry their suitcase on the park side of Princes Street... Drivers have no idea where other buses stop -- believe me, I asked several the first night I arrived. Some buses run every fifteen minutes or so, others only every half hour or only every hour! And most of them are ancient, spewing horrendous amounts of black fumes -- great stuff for everyone's lungs.
Apparently, the council is thinking of replacing the buses by tram lines. Might be a good idea! Might be cheaper, though, to replace existing buses by new ones with particle filters.
That's it for now. My half-hour on this computer is nearly up. Talk to you later -- photos will hopefully follow sometime next week... :)
Haven't got my photo act together and anyway it might be difficult to upload pix on a computer at an internet cafe but did want to just make a note of what a spectacularly beautiful day I had yesterday. I'm in Edinburgh at the moment, aka Auld Reekie, exploring the city and meeting new people. Very interesting experience, and very different from my original plans for this visit.
Anyway, yesterday I spent hours up on Castle Hill exploring Edinburgh Castle and taking dozens of photographs. Clear blue sky, perfect views across the Firth of Forth and out towards the east. Arthur's Seat and the Salisbury Crags are just spectacularly fascinating geological formations. The Castle itself also sits atop a volcano that's been extinct for millions of years. Listening to my landlady's advice I got myself kitted out with an audioguide, which provided fascinating information. She had also advised going early and starting at the top, i.e. at St. Margaret's Chapel -- had to see why a 12th century chapel was named in honour of that ancient namesake of mine... Poignant story, actually. Raised in Poland, she was brought over to Scotland to meet her husband-to-be, King David. Happily, they fell madly in love with each other. But he was a bit of a tearaway, went off to fight the English and was treacherously murdered just as he was about to return home. One of his sons had to bear the sad tidings to his mother, who was already ailing and died a few weeks later of a broken heart. (At any rate, that's how I remember the story I heard yesterday.)
A few hundred years later, another Queen, I forget which one, gave birth to her baby son in a tiny room, more of a walk-in closet, really, than a bedroom, albeit with a small window -- confinement taken literally -- next to her sumptuous bedroom, which affords gorgeous views south-west. The great reception rooms next door have been renovated beautifully to ancient patterns and examples and are now being used occasionally for state receptions.
Have had a good time so far, with the weather behaving better than I had expected. Only got a bit wet the day before yesterday, when the skies opened just as everyone was knocking off work, and the wind drove the rain sideways. Very unpleasant, indeed. But everyone very chummy about it and bus drivers generously allowing me to use their buses even though my bus pass didn't really cover their lines.
Ah, that's a bit of a gripe with me: bus transport in Edinburgh. Very, VERY confusing! Apparently it's confusing even for the locals. For one thing, there are about four or five companies operating buses into and out of Edinburgh. One or two of them operate in the city centre as well as beyond. The stops have signs but you have to go right up close to them to be able to read them. The shelters obscure the signs so you can't read them as you stand inside. The shelters also obstruct the pavement: woe to anyone wanting to pull or carry their suitcase on the park side of Princes Street... Drivers have no idea where other buses stop -- believe me, I asked several the first night I arrived. Some buses run every fifteen minutes or so, others only every half hour or only every hour! And most of them are ancient, spewing horrendous amounts of black fumes -- great stuff for everyone's lungs.
Apparently, the council is thinking of replacing the buses by tram lines. Might be a good idea! Might be cheaper, though, to replace existing buses by new ones with particle filters.
That's it for now. My half-hour on this computer is nearly up. Talk to you later -- photos will hopefully follow sometime next week... :)
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