SCOTLAND’S ferry services are obviously a lifeline for island communities, but they are important for communities on the mainland too, and nowhere is that more obvious than in Ardrossan. The Ayrshire town has suffered from decline over many years, as well as a lack of investment, but the ferry link to Arran has been one of its brighter lights. The service supports jobs and helps maintain the fragile local economy and its loss would be a disaster for the town and its people.
So why is the loss of the service now a possibility? The answer lies with the owners of Troon Harbour, Associated British Ports (ABP), which is on the lookout for new business. In October last year, the company made an unexpected attempt to lure the Arran service away from its traditional home in Ardrossan to Troon, promising to invest £8million in the port in return. ABP also suggested moving to Troon would make the service less prone to cancellation due to weather and therefore more reliable.
When the ABP idea was revealed, it met with widespread opposition, including from many on Arran, but even opponents of the move will acknowledge that the Ardrossan ferry port has long been in need of improvement. The infrastructure and buildings at the site are tired and faded and the lack of good signage means it can be confusing for passengers and drivers. Anyone trying to get over to Arran, or anyone who lives on the island who wants to reach the mainland, will also be aware of the level of cancellations. In the year from August 2015, the ferry was cancelled 298 times, some of which was due to technical faults on the vessels, but on 130 occasions it was because of high winds.
However, the idea that by moving to Troon the ferry service would be less prone to the weather is seriously open to question – as one executive at CalMac said last year, the weather that affects Ardrossan affects Troon as well. And there are other, more profound questions to be asked about any potential move to Troon, most importantly what it would cost passengers.
The bottom line is that Troon to Arran is a longer journey than Ardrossan to Arran and, quite apart from the inconvenience for travellers, that means extra cost. Precisely what it would be is unclear, but the Scottish Government’s Road Equivalent Tariff sets fares using a rate per mile, and that would mean a higher cost for travellers and businesses after a move to Troon. According to a new report from the owners of Ardrossan port, Peel Ports, and the local authority, North Ayrshire Council, there would also be other costs, including £9million in extra fuel for the ferry operator CalMac, and that, in the long run, could mean a bigger bill for the taxpayer.
It is only to be expected that North Ayrshire Council and Peel Ports would fight hard to keep the service and do what they can to stop a move to Troon. But the objective case for keeping the service in Ardrossan remains convincing, provided any decision to keep the Arran ferry comes with a guarantee that the port will be upgraded. Ardrossan deserves to keep the Arran ferry but the threat of losing it should be used as a springbroad for creating a better, more modern, more use-friendly service.
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