THE railway line between Inverness and Caithness was one of the lucky ones in the 1960s when it escaped the infamous Beeching cuts. But more than 50 years after being spared the axe, could it be suffering a worse fate: slow death by neglect?
It certainly looks that way to many of those who use the service. According to David Spaven, a rail consultant whose father played a key role in rescuing the line when he was a civil servant at the Scottish Office, ScotRail’s efforts to maximise passenger numbers on the line have been half-hearted. Another problem is that much of the rolling stock is tired and tatty and the trains are not frequent enough to make them really useful to the people who live and work in the Highlands, especially at peak times.
Mr Spaven has suggested some inventive ideas for turning things around including tourist trains with viewing platforms, but ScotRail need only look at the new Borders Railway to see what investment and support can achieve – and the potential benefits for the railway and the communities it serves. The passenger numbers on the Borders service have hugely exceeded expectations, with a great knock-on effect for tourist attractions that were previously hard to reach without a car, and while some of that may be the novelty factor, people are using the service because it is efficient, regular and well promoted.
The same cannot be said for the line north of Inverness, but the potential has always been there and still is. ScotRail says it is investing in the line, but Scotland’s transport network continues to suffer from a culture in which obligations are met (often over deadline and budget) but rarely exceeded. Why not extend the Borders Railway? Why not do the same for Edinburgh’s trams? And why not invest in Scotland’s Far North Line to create a more efficient, modern and exciting service? Passenger numbers on the line are dropping – but it can be turned around.
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