Ross-shire train stats give operators pause for thought; Rail figures for Conon, Muir of Ord and Beauly stations revealed; Kyle and Far North Lines in spotlight
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“RADICAL measures” are needed to promote commuting by train in order to reverse falling passenger numbers on the Kyle and Far North Lines, a Highland economist believes.
Tony Mackay made the comments after new figures revealed that passengers on Kyle Line stations west of Dingwall had fallen 6.2 per cent last year to 90,884.
Dingwall – which also serves as a Far North Line station – did not fare much better. It posted a 5.6 per cent fall in passengers, with figures of 81,408 in 2018/19 compared to the 86,276 recorded the previous year.
Mr Mackay said he was surprised by the fall in numbers on the Kyle Line given the “current boom in tourism in the Highlands and Islands” and that he was not sure why the “significant increase” he had expected had failed to materialise.
“The Scottish Government and other bodies are promoting rail transport rather than road, as part of their “green” policies, but these statistics show little impact of that to date,” he said.
“I believe there will have to be more radical measures to reduce car use in Easter Ross, particularly for commuting to/from Inverness, before there is a significant increase in local rail use.”
The figures, released by the Office for Rail and Road, showed that the Far North Line fared better, but still posted an overall fall in numbers between Beauly and through Easter Ross. There were 307,502 passengers at those stations in 2018/19, down 1.1 per cent from the 310,978 in the previous years.
Passengers have long complained about reliability, but it is not clear if this had an impact. However, there were big local fluctuations, with Beauly down 6.3 per cent but Muir of Ord and Conon Bridge up 4.2 and 16.1 per cent.
