West Highland CRP “Westie” Mallaig to Crianlarich 19 stations Membership: Community councils, local businesses, members of the public and third-sector organisations

James Wilkin, Vice Chairman WHCRP

Partnership Objectives

• Increase the user-friendliness & accessibility of rail services. • Assist in rail developments that benefit local businesses. • Support station development projects. • Identify and encourage growth markets for the rail service. • Work with the local tourism industry to promote rail travel. • Participate in community events that promote local rail use.

Partnership Projects

• Membership campaign. • Station information boards. • “Line for Walking” Collating all publications and relating to timetables. • “Line for Dining” Options for dining linked to timetable ie Corrour, Spean Bridge & Rannoch.

Community Noticeboards

• Presentation of the community served by each station • Presentation of the “Westie” branding. • Useful and relevant updateable visitor information • Rannoch, Corrour & Arisaig initial station locations. Rannoch Barriers to travel on the West Highland Line

Survey commissioned from Centre for Recreation and Tourism Research, UHI

• Reasons for not travelling by rail • Ideas for making WHL a more attractive travel option • Two parallel surveys: i) local population ii) visitors to the area

Roy Bridge Daytime travel

Reasons for NOT travelling by train: -Infrequency of train services & high cost: 50%

- Safety concerns: 0 - Inadequate bicycle parking: 0

Lack of safe walk/cycleway to station, Inadequate web-based information , Long distance to station, Bicycle policy, Unwelcoming station, Other public transport more convenient, Lack of comfort, Doesn't suit commuting needs, Difficult station access, Lack of accessible facilities, Insufficient car parking, Poor 'other' information , Lack of integration with other transport, No catering , I don't use any Crianarich public transport

Overnight travel

Locals who had used the Fort William Sleeper for overnight travel: - Non-rail users 57% - Regular rail users 35%

Tourists who had arrived in the area by Sleeper: 4%

Achnabobane Action Plan • Difficulties experienced encouraging rail travel due to service limitations and unreliability of existing service. • WHCRP requesting a review of the line. • FoWHL have presented a revised timetable (tabled at recent HiTrans RUG meeting in Aviemore).

Corpach

WHCRP Community Events

• Railway village – Past and Future Talk in Crianlarich by historian John Ransom and Dr Paul Salveson.

• Royal Scottish National Orchestra (Scotrail sponsored) Performance by violin and viola in Crianlarich station tearoom, onward travel to Mallaig. Next day pop up performances at stations on the journey South at Mallaig, Glenfinnan, Fort William, Roy Bridge & Rannoch.

Glenfinnan Project for 2018 “Brief Encounters”

• 4 actor, 50 minute adaptation of David Lean’s original screenplay. • Set in a present day station tearoom. • Proposed to stage the play at 7 locations on the WHL. Crianlarich, Rannoch, Corrour, Spean Bridge, Glenfinnan, Arisaig & Mallaig. • Stage the production over two week period – Spring 2018 West Highland CRP Board Members

• Alan Smailes – Chairman (Crianlarich) • James Wilkin – Vice Chairman (Bridge of Orchy / Tyndrum) • Benny MacDonald - Treasurer (Banavie) • Hege Hernes - Minute secretary (Glenfinnan) • Ian McNiven - Membership secretary (Arisaig) • Arthur Cowie - (Mallaig) • Jan Robinson - (Corrour) • Bill Anderson – (Rannoch) • Elizabeth Loudon – (Fort William) • Oliver Millington - (Fort William) Thank you for listening James Wilkin – Vice Chairman

(Photos by Norman McNab, Mark Fielding, Ian Henshaw and Bill Anderson)