Connecting Clyde Communities – Caledonian MacBrayne

Please click here for the full presentation or read on for a summary of the talk.

Caledonian MacBrayne Ltd is one of the major ferry operators on the Firth of Clyde. Dr Harold Mills, Chairman, gave a presentation on the work Calmac has been doing on connecting Clyde communities.

Dr Mills began with a look back over the 153 years that Caledonian MacBrayne and its predecessors have been working to connect communities on the Firth of Clyde. Until the early 1950s traditional commuter services with paddle and turbine steamers and excursion sailings in the summer were provided. The ships carried loose cargo and occasional cars. There were also some cargo boats.

In January 1954 came the introduction of general purpose vessels. The MV Arran was the first which could carry around 30 cars and 650 passengers. In 1957, the MV Glen Sannox, was introduced as the general purpose vessel to Arran carrying 55 cars and 1100 passengers. From 1970 onwards, drive on/drive off ferries were introduced. Linkspans were introduced at Brodick, Ardrossan, Gourock, Dunoon, Wemyss Bay and Rothesay. Over this time, existing ships were converted and new vessels and routes introduced. CalMac's work connecting Clyde communities has included building new shipways at Largs and Millport for a shorter route and introducing new routes between Lochranza on Arran and Kintyre and between Tarbert, Kintyre and Portavadie.

Dr Mills then moved onto the issues of integrated transport, in particular integration between ferries and rail. CalMac was originally the Caledonian Steam Packet Co Ltd, formed by the Caledonian Railway in 1889, one of three railway companies providing steamer services on the Clyde. In the early days there were seven railway/pier terminals. Four of these have been demolished, but three continue at Gourock, Wemyss Bay and Ardrossan. Integration between different modes of transport continues with railway/ferry connections from these piers being incorporated into the Calmac timetables.

The presentation finished with a look at Calmac's proposed future developments. The Scottish Executive's tendering process for Scotland's ferry services is still underway. Calmac are proposing to tender for the Clyde and Hebrides Lifeline Services. They are still awaiting a further round of consultation, but the network will be tendered as a single bundle (except for the Gourock/Dunoon route). A publicly owned Vessel-Owning Company (VESCO) will be set up and the successful operator will be bound to use VESCO's ships. However, the CalMac brand name and livery will be retained if their bid is successful. The tender will run for five to six years. The Scottish Executive must now accept the bid which requires the lowest financial contribution. CalMac reported that the levels of fares and services will be protected during this process. In addition to this process, Calmac plan to continue their route development and innovation and continue to invest in ships and terminals.

Dr Mills also spoke about the development of CalMac's fleet which consists of almost 30 ships, some of which have depreciated over 25 years. Four new ships have been introduced in the last five years and the CalMac future investment program includes introducing a second new ship for the Wemyss Bay to Rothesay route and new vessels for the Largs and Islay routes. One new ship is currently being built in Poland for the Wemyss Bay/Rothesay route and a new terminal in Oban is under construction. For the appraisal of these new developments Calmac will be adhering to the Scottish Transport Appraisal Guidelines (STAG).

The presentation concluded with the latest news about the new ship for the Wemyss Bay to Rothesay route, the funding for which was announced by the Minister in October 2003. The £8.5 million ship is to be launched in Poland in February 2005 and will enter the route in early summer 2005 as a side loader carrying 60 cars and 450 passengers. Dr Mills announced that the new ship will be named after the island: the MV Bute. The new MV Bute will actually be the seventh ship on the Clyde to have the name. The first was one of the original paddle steamers built for the Wemyss Bay Railway when it opened in 1865, while the next four were cargo ships sailing all the way from Glasgow and discharging at the various small piers on the Firth until they reached Rothesay and beyond. The best known Bute, however, was the car ferry which entered service for The Caledonian Steam Packet Company on the Wemyss Bay-Rothesay crossing on 6 December, 1954.

Further details on MV Bute's progress and her anticipated arrival on station will be reported on the Company's website where general information on Caledonian MacBrayne can also be found. Please see www.calmac.co.uk. Telephone 08705 65000 for reservations or 01475 650 100 for general enquiries.