Timetables announced for Strome ferries
The Highland Council has today (Friday) announced the timetables (85 Kb pdf) for the free passenger and car ferries – with connecting feeder bus services –being introduced on Monday (16 January) as emergency measures to combat the ongoing closure of the A 890 Stromeferry By-pass between Lochcarron and Plockton/Kyle.
The ferries are needed because the Council has been advised by consultants that the road must remain closed to traffic until works to make the rock face safe are completed or a diversion via the adjacent railway line is put in place.
The road has been closed since 22 December following landslides at a point 100 yards west of the Avalanche Shelter. Rock has been cleared from the road but there is still a significant risk of further rock falls affecting the road.
The main east-west diversion remains the A 82/A87 trunk road and the Inverness – Kyle railway line remains open.
The passenger ferry, the Sula Mhor from Plockton, and a six-car turntable ferry from Glenelg will operate between North Strome, near Lochcarron and South Strome from Monday 16 January.
The passenger ferry will make its first run – at 7.50 am – transporting the 32 pupils from Lochcarron who attend Plockton High School. At 8.15 am, it will take the 16 pupils from the Kishorn area as well as another 10 pupils from Applecross, who stay on weekdays in hostel accommodation. This sailing is open to the public. Buses will taken the pupils to school in time for the start of the school day. During the first week back at school, pupils travelled to school via the Inverness – Kyle rail service.
The passenger ferry will make a third journey for the general public between North and South Strome at 9.30 am.
In the afternoon, the passenger ferry will return to pick up pupils, leaving North Strome at 4.20 pm, and with a second sailing at 4.35 if required. It will complete its daily routine with one final journey at 5.30 pm.
It will make two return journeys on Saturday, leaving North Strome at 8.15 am and 5.30 pm. The passenger service will not operate on Sundays.
Return journeys from South Strome will be timed 10 minutes after those from North Strome.
Initially, the car ferry will shuttle between North and South Strome between 9 am and 5 pm seven days of the week. It has capacity to carry up to 6 cars and 12 passengers, inclusive of drivers, and the maximum load should not exceed 10 tonnes.
Because of the restricted capacity, the Council is operating a priority system for travelling on the car ferry. Emergencies will be the top priority, local utilities will be the second priority and local people will be the third priority.
For the North Strome service, cars will be gathered at Lochcarron Golf Course Car Park and tickets issued to those having priority to travel. At South Strome, cars will be gathered on the approaches to Stomeferry, near the cattle grid.
Staff will be on duty to marshall waiting vehicles and issue tickets.
The Council has called a public meeting at 7 pm on Monday at Lochcarron Village Hall to set out the challenges of removing the danger of rockfall on the Stromeferry Bypass in the short and longer term and review ferry arrangements. It is proposed to hold a similar public meeting in Lochalsh soon.
Councillor John Laing, Chairman of TEC Services, will be in the chair and Highland MSPs have been invited to attend.
He said: “Significant works will be required to stabilise the rock slope and we are looking at the road remaining closed for at least another three to four weeks. While the roadway is now clear of rock, the danger of further rock fall is deemed too great for us to allow any vehicles to use the road.
“We have commissioned passenger and car ferries, which will complement the rail services in getting people about. It is critical that the public appreciate that the car ferry has a very limited capacity and the services is primarily intended to ensure a continuity of travel for emergency and vital local services.
“It is also vital that travellers returning from the Kyle area to Lochcarron at night give themselves plenty of time to get home ie they should be thinking of arriving at South Strome by 4 pm."