ushawk
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Line will now be closed until at least next Wednesday.
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West Highland line closed
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No mention on NRE of the other problem between Arrochar and Ardlui though. Presumably this is now fixed and Oban services are back to normal.
Does anyone know how the service is being run ?
Is it Glasgow to Crianlarich by train, Crianlarich to Fort William by bus (& return)
or is it Glasgow to Fort William by bus, with people being dropped off en route ?
I'm travelling from Mallaig to Glasgow on Sunday -- they wouldn't be cruel enough to put me on a bus, would they ?
Is it Glasgow to Crianlarich by train, Crianlarich to Fort William by bus (& return)
or is it Glasgow to Fort William by bus, with people being dropped off en route ?
I'm travelling from Mallaig to Glasgow on Sunday -- they wouldn't be cruel enough to put me on a bus, would they ?
When the WHL is closed I think they run 'fast' buses from Queen Street to Fort William and 'slow' buses from Crianlarich connecting with trains there. Trains are running normally between Fort William and Mallaig.
I notice on the Scotrail website it says:
'Sorry but we are unable to provide alternative transport to/from Corrour and Rannoch and passengers are therefore advised not to travel to/from these two stations.'
What if you had already purchased an advance ticket to one of these stations months ago? I assume a taxi from Glasgow to Rannoch?
Think you would be put on a train to Pitlochry and taxied from there.
cheers Liam
so i may need to endure a bus from Fort William to Glasgow -- oh bountiful, unreserved joy :cry::cry:
National Rail:
On Thursday 28th June, a freight train was derailed between Tulloch and Corrour due to poor weather on the 'West Highlands' route. A picture can be seen here.
Because of this, journeys between Mallaig and Glasgow Queen Street will start / terminate at Fort William and buses replace trains between Fort William and Glasgow Queen Street. Buses are unable to call at Corrour and Rannoch. Journey times may be extended by up to 90 minutes.
A normal service is not expected to resume before Wednesday 11 July 2012.
The buses currently show in the Journey Planner between Glasgow Queen Street and Fort William, calling at Crianlarich. All other stations will be a request stop.
From Scotrail:
16:05 Mallaig to Glasgow Queen Street due 21:31
This train will be terminated at Fort William at 17:28 and restarted from Crianlarich at 19:33.
This train will no longer call at Spean Bridge, Roy Bridge, Tulloch, Corrour, Rannoch, Bridge Of Orchy and Upper Tyndrum.
This is due to a landslip.
Additional Information:
This is due to a landslip in the Arrochar and Tulloch area.
Replacement buses will operate between Fort William and Crianlarich/Glasgow in both directions.
The route between Crianlarich and Fort William remains disrupted as a result of a derailed freight train on Thursday 28th June. Journey times will be extended therefore passengers are advised to allow extra time for their journey.
We are unable provide transport to/from Corrour and Rannoch
On Thursday 28th June, a freight train was derailed between Tulloch and Corrour due to poor weather on the 'West Highlands' route. A picture can be seen here.
Because of this, journeys between Mallaig and Glasgow Queen Street will start / terminate at Fort William and buses replace trains between Fort William and Glasgow Queen Street. Buses are unable to call at Corrour and Rannoch. Journey times may be extended by up to 90 minutes.
A normal service is not expected to resume before Wednesday 11 July 2012.
The buses currently show in the Journey Planner between Glasgow Queen Street and Fort William, calling at Crianlarich. All other stations will be a request stop.
From Scotrail:
16:05 Mallaig to Glasgow Queen Street due 21:31
This train will be terminated at Fort William at 17:28 and restarted from Crianlarich at 19:33.
This train will no longer call at Spean Bridge, Roy Bridge, Tulloch, Corrour, Rannoch, Bridge Of Orchy and Upper Tyndrum.
This is due to a landslip.
Additional Information:
This is due to a landslip in the Arrochar and Tulloch area.
Replacement buses will operate between Fort William and Crianlarich/Glasgow in both directions.
The route between Crianlarich and Fort William remains disrupted as a result of a derailed freight train on Thursday 28th June. Journey times will be extended therefore passengers are advised to allow extra time for their journey.
We are unable provide transport to/from Corrour and Rannoch
I'm supposed to be travelling from Euston to Fort William on Wednesday, and then on to Oban to catch the ferry to Mull on Friday. The fly in the ointment is that it's supposed to be a cycling holiday.
Scotrail customer services think that the replacement bus driver may be able to take my bike on the bus to Fort William, but they tell me that ultimately it's at the discretion of the driver and he may refuse. I don't quite know what I am supposed to do if he does refuse as that leaves me stranded. Does anyone have experience of this?
If Oban is your ultimate destination you may be as well to go straight there as the trains seem to be back on that line after the problems between Arrochar and Ardlui last week.
Bent u nederlands BTW?
My tickets have already been purchased; when I suggested changing the routing to send me straight to Oban Customer Services were unwilling to do so
Not a dutch speaker I'm afraid, try the South African meaning of the name
My tickets have already been purchased; when I suggested changing the routing to send me straight to Oban Customer Services were unwilling to do so
Not a dutch speaker I'm afraid, try the South African meaning of the name
Cycle from Crianlarich to Oban
Or just cut your losses and buy another advance from Crianlarich to Oban. This won't cost much more than a fiver IMHO.
michael769
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SEPA would be the last of their worries! Diesel is difficult to ignite at atmospheric pressure , but the heat given off by a cutting torch (3,000degC +) is more than capable to doing so, and once ignited a Diesel fire is extremely difficult to put out again, and there are other potentially flammable fluids in there to add to the mix.
You really would not want cutting gear anywhere near it without draining it first.
I think that you are selling the skills and ingenuity of NRs engineers short. I am confident a way will be found to successfully recover it intact.
Cycle from Crianlarich to Oban
Or just cut your losses and buy another advance from Crianlarich to Oban. This won't cost much more than a fiver IMHO.
Crianlarich to Oban is not the issue though, it's Fort William to Crianlarich that is the problem. Does the sleeper stop at Crianlarich? If it does I could try and find accommodation there overnight and then continue on to Oban as orignally planned.
DaveNewcastle
Established Member
Not such a bad suggestion !
Or start from Tyndrum, then cycle through Glen Coe. There's an initial 100mtr climb out of Tyndrum and another to get into Glen Coe, but much of it is on a gradual descent and with spectacular views.
Or go to Oban and then follow the coast to Ft William.
The sleeper does stop at Crianlarich under normal circumstances, but I'm guessing it won't run at all during the period of disruption. There is a Youth Hostel at Crianlarich though, right next to the station. Also a Best Western where my mate and I got a twin room last Thursday for £69 when we got stranded there.
Perhaps not. I do not currently have the maps for it and have not looked at it as a cycle route as the serious cycling was supposed to start when I arrived in Mull (and I am not that fit). How big a distance am I looking at? Less than 20 miles is viable, more than 20 miles a day is not.
What I do have are a set of fixed points between which I have to get:
Euston to the Highlands 4-5th july.
Higlands to Oban no later than 2pm on 6th July to catch the ferry.
Ferry from Oban to Craignure and then ride to Tobermory 6th July - 20 mile cycle ride.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
That's very useful to know. I believe they're putting on a bus replacement service somewhere between Edinburgh and Fort William for the sleeper, but I am not sure where that actually starts.
Depending on where the train part of the journey actually stops I see if I can find somewhere to sleep for the night, and failing that sleep in the station. If it is Crainlarich I know I can get the connecting train on to Oban the next day that I am booked onto. I was booked into the YHA at Fort William for the night, but don't mind throwing that away to make the journey work.
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Do you have a link for that? The listed 'sevice disruption' clicks through to http://www.journeycheck.com/firstscotrail which tells me about the Mallaig to Glasgow Queen Street line.
I guess I'd better start finding out about Kingussie then, and whether there are any alternate options. *sigh*
It used to be that the sleeper was diverted to Oban instead, but there's two problems with that --- the sleeper stock is trapped in Fort William, and 67s aren't cleared for Crianlarich-Oban.
I suppose a 37 could be sourced from somewhere (I don't think DBS have any left), or they could terminate at Crianlarich, but that doesn't solve the first problem.
I suppose a 37 could be sourced from somewhere (I don't think DBS have any left), or they could terminate at Crianlarich, but that doesn't solve the first problem.
DaveNewcastle
Established Member
Tyndrum to Oban is about 30miles.
Oban to Fort William is about 40miles.
Sadly that's not really going to work for me then. I'm coming to the conclusion that letting my lower lip wobble and look like I'm about to burst into tears is probably my best option in terms of persuading the replacement bus driver to take my bike. So humiliating. Oh well...
On the Journey check site, under service updates click for the details of the sleeper service (19:50 Fort William to Edinburgh)
http://www.journeycheck.com/firstscotrail
an alternative option- could you get them to rebook you onto the Glasgow sleeper? the line to Oban is open again - there is a train from Queen Street to Oban so you have over an hour to get to Queen street from Central after the sleeper arrives in Glasgow.
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I suggested that but they weren't amenable sadly, as that would have been a better solution IMHO.
Thanks for the link. I hadn't found that route in.
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If you were more persistent, maybe that'd work? TOC customer services seem to cave in to reasonable sounding things if you apply pressure in the right way.
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If the Fort William sleeping cars are going to Inverness so that the FW pax can bail at Kingussie onto a bus, then I suggest you leap from the sleeper at Dunblane at 05:04 and take the 05:21 first train of the day into Queen Street. Not strictly a legitimate move on an advance, but who's going to stop you? Time in Glasgow for some brekkie before taking the 08:21 to Oban.
Whatever you do it can't be as bad as what happened to me last week: http://www.railforums.co.uk/showthread.php?t=67731
Whatever you do it can't be as bad as what happened to me last week: http://www.railforums.co.uk/showthread.php?t=67731
Uitlander, 20 miles is only about 2-3 hours cycling maximum, I am not a big cyclist and am unfit but I average 10mph when cycling, if your off on a full cycling holiday I imagine you to be a better cycler than me,
Looking at a map, if I have the right derailment location, I'd say the nearest road is 2-3 miles away as the crow flies.
Looking at a map, if I have the right derailment location, I'd say the nearest road is 2-3 miles away as the crow flies.
DaveNewcastle
Established Member
I'm so glad that you've posted that!
It might hae appeared rude if that was my reply to his/her response!
I wouldn't say that I was 'fit' and am certainly decades past being 'young', but the prospect of going to Scotland to cycle from Tyndrum though Glen Coe to Oban in July made me want to book my journey now, before the evening light withdraws, and not worry about anything else (at home, at work, or en route or, er, fitness).
It would certainly beat cycling across Mull and back (which was lovely for its isolationist barreness until it ceased to be qute so barren. But Mull is just Mull, whereas the monstrous eruptions in the desolate Glen Coe popularly referred to as munroes are unforgettable. And impressive).
I'm sure this advice was well intentioned but I and my GP are in the best position to judge my own fitness levels and cycling ability and this is why I am not attempting more than 20 miles a day.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
Thank you. I shall try talking to them again today.
It took quite a bit of persuading by friends to convince me that taking the sleeper and using a bike in the first place was a viable option, and at this stage I am very much regretting the whole thing.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
Thank you, that's another possibility. I will talk to Scotrail Customer Services today and ask about that as an alternative as well. They might get sniffy unless I have bike reservations to get me all the way through to Oban. That trip of yours last week does look rather grim. You have my sympathy.
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crewmeal
Member
Is this one of the longest closures of an important line in UK rail history?
I thought I'd post an update on my trip tomorrow. Scotrail Customer Services seem to be doing what they can so far. I've spoke to them again and suggested a change to Glasgow avoiding Fort William entirely; apparently that should all be possible at least in theory.
However they told me initially that they cannot change the sleeper booking at this stage, although they have since called me back and are seeing what they can do. Apparently they are generally contacting sleeper passengers on the day of departure to establish what is best for each person's individual circumstances. In most cases they think this will be a bus transfer from Kingussie.
The person I spoke to says he is trying to route me via Glasgow and then onto Oban with my bike avoiding the disrupted line, so I am crossing fingers etc.
However they told me initially that they cannot change the sleeper booking at this stage, although they have since called me back and are seeing what they can do. Apparently they are generally contacting sleeper passengers on the day of departure to establish what is best for each person's individual circumstances. In most cases they think this will be a bus transfer from Kingussie.
The person I spoke to says he is trying to route me via Glasgow and then onto Oban with my bike avoiding the disrupted line, so I am crossing fingers etc.
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