Page 2 of 2
Re: Stranraer and Stena Line
Posted:
Wed Feb 10, 2010 11:44 pmby DickyHart
stena have reduced the use of the HSS(the fast one) that was the one that met the train, now if you get one of the ferries they dont meet them, as a recent 3 hour wait in stranraer showed, and theres sod all to do in stranraer at 9pm at night. couldve been worse, ive been stuck in cairnryan before.
Re: Stranraer and Stena Line
Posted:
Thu Feb 11, 2010 5:18 amby DickyHart
Re: Stranraer and Stena Line
Posted:
Thu Feb 11, 2010 8:00 amby Bridie
That's what happened to me I got the P&O to Cairnryan and effectively left stranded as all the cars left and I sat watching the tumbleweed. Got a taxi to Stranraer (£6) then walked about a mile down a dark lane to the train station and sat looking at a manky coffee machine for 4 hours.
I
could google this but I'll give you a laugh instead;
Why can't a ferry go all the way up to Glasgow?
Re: Stranraer and Stena Line
Posted:
Thu Feb 11, 2010 9:20 pmby dave2
Time?
You can go to Troon....some of the time
Re: Stranraer and Stena Line
Posted:
Tue Feb 16, 2010 4:35 pmby hungryjoe
when I was a kid, I sailed from the Broomielaw to Dublin and back.
Re: Stranraer and Stena Line
Posted:
Tue Feb 16, 2010 5:42 pmby Bridie
hungryjoe wrote:when I was a kid, I sailed from the Broomielaw to Dublin and back.
Hw long did that take and did you get off the boat?
Suppose I'll just have to google why we can't do that now
Re: Stranraer and Stena Line
Posted:
Thu Feb 18, 2010 5:17 pmby gap74
I've used the HSS from Stranraer a few times, and this move does seem a backward step in terms of trains to elsewhere - I realise it's pie in the sky and would be mightily expensive, but wasn't there talk of looking into re-opening some old branch line that went up that way?
I don't see why a summer service at least from Glasgow to Northern Ireland wouldn't be useful - having done the Waverley to Campbeltown, it's a mightily more pleasant way to travel down in that direction than flying, and the journey would be an attraction in itself.
Re: Stranraer and Stena Line
Posted:
Thu Feb 18, 2010 5:32 pmby DickyHart
gap74 wrote:I've used the HSS from Stranraer a few times, and this move does seem a backward step in terms of trains to elsewhere - I realise it's pie in the sky and would be mightily expensive, but wasn't there talk of looking into re-opening some old branch line that went up that way?
I don't see why a summer service at least from Glasgow to Northern Ireland wouldn't be useful - having done the Waverley to Campbeltown, it's a mightily more pleasant way to travel down in that direction than flying, and the journey would be an attraction in itself.
I get the impression foot passengers arent an issue, theres more cash to be made in freight and cars full of people. Hopefully they do reopen the branch line. P&O will probably benefit form more foot passenger from this at Cairnryan, but the facilties there for foot passengers are a joke.
Re: Stranraer and Stena Line
Posted:
Thu Feb 18, 2010 5:34 pmby gap74
At the very least, they could lay on a free shuttle bus to take you to meet up with a train - any major transport infrastructure that goes ahead in this day and age with no integration is nothing short of a joke.
Re: Stranraer and Stena Line
Posted:
Thu Feb 18, 2010 7:24 pmby gap74
Found this - not particularly recent I think, but at least shows I didn't dream it! :
http://www.deltix.co.uk/MR_DSArticle.pdfDuring World War 2 Cairnryan military port and the six-mile Stranraer-Cairnryan military
railway were built to provide back-up in case Liverpool docks were severely bombed. The
railway closed in 1962, but in the 1970s P&O established a new ferry port for Northern
Ireland at Cairnryan. Until recently it had been anticipated that Stena would be shifting
their terminal from Stranraer to a new joint port operation with P&O, reducing the transit
time for HSS (‘High Speed Ship’) operation to the port of Belfast. However, Stena’s intentions
are now in the melting pot, and this has made planning for the future of the railway a more
difficult exercise.
The case for re-opening the Cairnryan branch has been examined, but the projected
cost and the circuitous routing make this an unlikely proposition compared to a direct bus
link from the ferries to Girvan station. Arguments based on freight traffic have struggled in the face of the fact that the Stranraer line has carried no regular freight since 1993.
Re: Stranraer and Stena Line
Posted:
Thu Feb 18, 2010 11:39 pmby Dexter St. Clair
More here on
The Cairnryan Military RailwayIT IS STILL POSSIBLE to trace the route of the railway all the way from Cairnryan Junction to the Old House Point. Unfortunately it is no longer possible to walk it all the way. Like any other disused line in the region there are parts where bridges have been demolished or which are now private ground. Many places have been surrendered to the wild and have become impenetrable through rampant growth of whins and brambles and even young forest trees. On one stretch, tidal erosion makes progress difficult. However, it presents a worthwhile challenge. Walking is pleasant for much of the way and even where there are obstructions a reasonably fit person should be able to cope.
Larger picture from a large collection
here
Re: Stranraer and Stena Line
Posted:
Fri Feb 19, 2010 12:03 amby dave2
AIUI due to the current rail route being a big inland loop, it would be easier/quicker to run a bus to Girvan. this would prejudice the Stranraer-Girvan part of the service (few passengers, same operating costs) and should they wish to boost the Girvan-Glasgow service to meet most boats then more intensive service on this section could be done by a) extending electrification from Ayr, or stopping short the Stranraer services at Girvan and running coaches from the port & Stranraer town.
Re: Stranraer and Stena Line
Posted:
Fri Feb 19, 2010 10:46 amby Bridie
gap74 wrote:At the very least, they could lay on a free shuttle bus to take you to meet up with a train - any major transport infrastructure that goes ahead in this day and age with no integration is nothing short of a joke.
problem with what happened to me in November was I thought that there would be some sort of link up between P&O and HSS/ Stranraer and Cairnryan - more fool me.
I sailed with P&O from Larne to Cairnryan.
I asked at the desk in Cairnryan how I would get to Stranraer they said they would call me a taxi took half an hour - in the meantime I saw a bus pull up outside - I asked where that was going they said Girvan. I asked when the next one would be going to Stranraer - it didn't do that. I swear they were laughing.
So
because I was not sailing with HSS and therefore linked up with a train service I was left buggered by P&O who really don't give a shit about foot passengers.
Ps still haven't found out why a passenger ferry can't sail up the Clyde.
Re: Stranraer and Stena Line
Posted:
Fri Feb 19, 2010 9:27 pmby Buzby
Sail UP the Clyde? Where have you been - There remains the (Summer only) service that goes from Troon to Larne, and I can't remember the name of the firm running it, but they were affilliatred to the IoM Steam Packet Co. They also ran services from Stranraer, further west round from the HSS Stena terminal at the bottom of Loch Ryan.
They pulled out of Stranraer, and operated only from Troon, before packing up completely. P&O then took over the route, and it re-opens again next month until October. It's great for foot passengers!