Highland Explorer trip involving taking a tandem on the trains

[adamedwards]

One problem with the Highland Explorer is the current timings make journeys back to London difficult unless you get the 0520, which is not very holiday friendly. I'm waiting for 2022 and I hope some splitting of the trains to enable better timings and a service to Fort William. The Highland Explorer is crucial to our plans as it's the only ScotRail service which takes a tandem, vital for my visually impaired partner. My hope is the Inter7City trains might get modified so we can get to Inverness.

 

[47827]

One problem with the Highland Explorer is the current timings make journeys back to London difficult unless you get the 0520, which is not very holiday friendly. I'm waiting for 2022 and I hope some splitting of the trains to enable better timings and a service to Fort William. The Highland Explorer is crucial to our plans as it's the only ScotRail service which takes a tandem, vital for my visually impaired partner. My hope is the Inter7City trains might get modified so we can get to Inverness.

I found the link to the draft timetables for May 2022 on the Scotrail website for the West Highland plus North of Inverness. It looked like there's very little scope for a big change in use of the 153s just yet as many of the Oban trains still share paths. Although they claim to exploring use of a hst on either the West Highland somewhere or north of Inverness. I can't see that definitely happening though even if there are capacity benefits potentially as it'd be a big change to the current way of working and require umpteen tests and planning exercises.

It did appear that Intercity services to Aberdeen and Inverness from the Central belt were largely going to be back to 2019 levels but with less stops further south.

 

[adamedwards]

Thanks for this. I'd heard there were plans for a new timetable separating the Oban and Fort William trains, but I guess that's now delayed given the need for savings on trains rather than expansion. Is this linked to the East Kilbride electrification freeing up 156s for these trains I wonder?

 

[ScotRail158725]

Is this linked to the East Kilbride electrification freeing up 156s for these trains I wonder?

No

 

[47827]

Thanks for this. I'd heard there were plans for a new timetable separating the Oban and Fort William trains, but I guess that's now delayed given the need for savings on trains rather than expansion. Is this linked to the East Kilbride electrification freeing up 156s for these trains I wonder?

Indeed. It isn't very cost effective ramping up the services between Crianlarich and Helensburgh (in the bargain marring performance along the line further due to the length of sections between passing loops), especially when the railway has needed to tighten its belt. I'd sooner see the likes of Stranraer get its 2 hourly services back, but that's in the same predicament as many other things presently with an uplift of 1 train a day and gaps of up to 4 hours still prevalent.