Scottish Citylink ups capacity as rail timetable is reduced

Scottish Citylink has moved quickly to capitalise on a reduced rail timetable in Scotland by adding capacity to its scheduled coach network.

The company says its summer timetable, introduced in week commencing 23 May, includes almost 10,000 extra seats per week on west coast routes and a new overnight round trip between Glasgow and Aberdeen. In addition, Scottish Citylink will provide additional vehicles if needed to ensure demand is met “as far as possible.”

Routes to see an increase in capacity include those between Glasgow and Campbelltown, Fort William and Oban, respectively; between Edinburgh and Fort William; between Inverness and Fort William; and between Inverness and Skye.

Says Scottish Citylink Operations Director Simone Smith: “It is always an exciting time when we introduce our summer timetable, and this year the additional services in place will be more important than ever to keep people connected while some rail services are reduced over the coming weeks and months.”

Train operator ScotRail, which provides the bulk of Scotland’s rail services, recently cut the number of trains on weekdays by around one-third, including a severe drop in departures after 2000hrs. The changed rail timetables have been introduced owing to an industrial dispute. ScotRail will not provide road replacement services for suspended journeys.

Scottish Citylink has also highlighted its existing service between Glasgow and Edinburgh. City centre to city centre provision observes a peak frequency of 15 minutes and runs 24/7. Under the current reduced rail schedule, the final train services between Scotland’s two largest cities are at 2215hrs, with only four in each direction after 2000hrs on weekdays.