Stranraer rail link under threat
18 April 2010
Steam excursion on Stranraer line last week Photo: Marc Turner
by Bruce Whitehead, Sunday Herald 18 April 2010
Transport campaigners have warned that the rail line which links Stranraer to Glasgow could face closure in under three years due to rising costs and the loss of direct ferry connections to Ireland next year.
The Scottish Association for Public Transport says there is a real prospect that the line could face closure south of Ayr from 2014, when the franchise is due for re-tender.
A spokesman said: “Our worry is the Stranraer section may not be included in the 2014 franchise renewal tender, unless costs can be cut substantially and passenger numbers boosted.”
The SAPT spokesman added that the switching of all ferry traffic by Stena Line from Stranraer Harbour to Cairnryan next year could signal the end of the Stranraer rail link. At present, rail passengers step off trains just metres away from the ferries at Stranraer – the new Cairnryan terminal will be seven miles from the nearest rail stop.
Richard Carr, a former freight specialist who runs the Stranraer to Ayr Line Support Association, said it was “madness” for Stena to be opening a new port with no rail link. “It must be the only ferry terminal in Britain which will have no railway,” he added.
Scotrail, which operates the Glasgow to Stranraer line via Ayr and Girvan, said it remained committed to the link, but that any decision on closure would depend on transport ministers.
A spokesman added: “We also want to work with Stena to retain rail-sea connections after its move to Cairnryan, and we look forward to receiving more information about its service plans.” They said one solution might be to transfer rail passengers from Girvan to Cairnryan by bus, implying the end of Stranraer as a rail destination.
Stena said it would be holding talks with stakeholders about what it called “optimum provision for rail passengers travelling to and from Ireland”. A spokesman said Stena could not guarantee to maintain rail connections when it moves to Cairnryan but it “expected to retain rail passengers on ferries”.
A spokeswoman for the Scottish Government said that its policy was to provide sustainable transport alternatives to the car. Asked for an assurance that the line would stay open, she said there were no plans to close the Stranraer route “at this time”.
Stranraer’s MSP, Conservative Alex Fergusson, said: “It would be a complete disaster if the line was closed south of Ayr or Girvan, and I will do everything I can to ensure this route is part of the tender and the line remains open.”
A spokesman for Stranraer MP Russell Brown (Labour) said he’d been assured by Network Rail that it had no plans to close the link. However, any decision would be for the Scottish Government, not Network Rail.
Ferry passenger figures for 2008 show that 628,000 travelled from Cairnryan and 1,104,000 travelled from Stranraer – 32% down on 1998 numbers.
Labour MP Sandra Osborne, whose Ayr constituency lies on the Stranraer route, blamed the passenger numbers on timetabling, claiming gaps of up to five hours between trains at Stranraer did little to attract commuters.
She said poor connections were also to blame, and contrasted the Stranraer route with the partnership approach introduced for the Rural Highland Rail Network, with £1 million funding per year.
Peter Duncan, Conservative Westminster candidate for Dumfries and Galloway, which includes Stranraer, said: “The line is crucial not only to the local economy but to Scotland as a whole, especially if freight were included.”
Mr Duncan also said there had been a lack of dialogue with local people over the planning of the new terminal.
At an SAPT committee meeting last week, members warned ministers against spending cuts on public transport, and called for a transport partnership to safeguard the line.
The SAPT’s chairman, Dr John McCormick, stressed the importance of maintaining public transport investment, and said: “The effect of the Icelandic ash cloud on air links brings home the message that we need to prepare now for the advent of peak oil, with high prices and shortages, by boosting alternative public transport links like rail.”
