SCOTTISH CITYLINK ANNOUNCES SERVICE IMPROVEMENTS IN THE HIGHLANDS
Changes made following review of new timetable introduced in November
Improved interchange location introduced at Aviemore
New services in place from 23 May 2016
Scottish Citylink has announced a series of service improvements for customers in the Highlands.
The coach operator is to introduce a revised timetable from 23 May, following a review of the new timetable that was put in place in November last year.
A new route will run between Newtonmore, Kingussie, Kincraig and Aviemore and will allow passengers to connect at Aviemore to the Scottish Citylink M90 services which operate between Inverness and Edinburgh.
Aviemore has been identified as a more suitable transport interchange – with well-lit bus stop areas, shops, cafes and facilities as well as access to the train station – than the previous interchange point which was located at House of Bruar.
From the Aviemore interchange, customers will be able to make connections via the Scottish Citylink network to key Scottish cities including Inverness, Perth, Edinburgh and Glasgow.
Customers from Dalwhinnie will be able to travel on a number of M90 services which will call at Dalwhinnie Road End on the A9.
Passengers from Blair Atholl and House of Bruar will still be able to access the Scottish Citylink network in Pitlochry which is served by journeys to Inverness and Edinburgh.
Scottish Citylink Operations Director David Frenz said: “As always after making timetable changes, we have reviewed the performance of the new routes and the feedback we have received from customers. We believe the decision to make changes to our M90 and M91 services in November was the right decision – what we are doing now is making some further amendments to the new arrangement which we believe will deliver a better service for the majority of customers in these areas.
“The connection point at Aviemore will provide a more pleasant environment, and better facilities, for customers linking into other services. We are pleased to have worked with our local authority partners to put these changes in place and we are delighted that they have been so well received by the stakeholders who have been involved in that process. We look forward to welcoming even more people on to our greener, smarter services in the future.”
Councillor Dave Fallows, speaking on behalf of the Badenoch and Strathspey Ward Members of Highland Council said “I am very pleased that the interchange for Badenoch customers is to be moved to Aviemore, rather than Blair Atholl. This new arrangement means that options for customers are very much more flexible and practical and passengers will be able to wait for onward transport in much more pleasant surroundings. Kincraig will no longer be disenfranchised, and services for Dalwhinnie will be restored too. Options for onward travel from Aviemore will also greatly assist those customers who might wish to travel to the Strathspey towns and villages as well. I believe this is a result of Citylink’s willingness to work with local communities to provide an improved service over that which was initially provided, and hope that we will be able to continue a productive and positive dialogue into the future.”
Meanwhile, Scottish Citylink has also confirmed that, from 23 May, it will operate two Sunday journeys in each direction on its 919 Inverness - the 1215 Sunday service that currently operates from Fort William will be replaced by a 1045 service with an additional 1045 journey also operating from Inverness and an additional 1645 service from Fort William being added to the timetable.
