No trains on line between Dingwall and Wick for most of June
Rail passengers have been urged to plan ahead as train services on the Far North Line will stop for most of June. Network Rail is carrying out an £11.5m improvement project on the line, which connects Inverness with Wick and Thurso.Refurbishment work will be undertaken, with some parts of the line replaced.No trains are scheduled to operate north of Dingwall from Sunday June 8 until Monday June 30, with replacement bus services to be put in place.
The railway company said the project will help to improve the long-term reliability of rail services in the north of Scotland."This essential investment will breathe new life into one of Scotland's most scenic and historic routes," Ross Moran, Network Rail's Scotland route director said. "By replacing and refurbishing infrastructure - some of it nearly a century old - we'll help provide safer, smoother, and more reliable journeys."
As part of work, a five-mile (8km) stretch between Brora and Helmsdale will be refurbished, with almost nine miles (15km) of track between Invergordon and Fearn replaced.ScotRail said it is committed to keeping customers moving throughout the works.Trains between Inverness and Kyle of Lochalsh will not be affected.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
BBC News
11 minutes ago
- BBC News
Man charged over crash near Elgin that left three in hospital
A man has been charged in connection with a crash in Moray which left three people in of the A96 between Elgin and Alves was closed for several hours following the incident involving a bus and a van on 20 people between the ages of 37 and 60 were taken to Dr Grey's Hospital for treatment.A 37-year-old man has been reported to the procurator fiscal.
Sky News
14 minutes ago
- Sky News
Two Scottish people shot dead by hooded gunman outside Irish pub in Costa del Sol
Two Scottish people have been shot dead by a hooded gunman outside an Irish pub in the Costa del Sol, according to reports in Spain. One of the victims was a man who was shot in the chest and the second was a woman who was struck in the chest and abdomen, local news site Diario Sur reports. Both people died at the scene outside Monaghans bar in the city of Fuengirola in the Malaga region on Saturday night, the news service adds. Local authorities were quoted as saying that both victims were Scottish nationals. A third person was also injured in the shooting which took place on the Rey de Espana seafront promenade in the city, La Opinion de Malaga reports. Hooded men had reportedly arrived in a car before one of them got out and opened fire. More than a dozen people are reported to have witnessed the shooting before the emergency services were alerted at around 11.28pm local time (10.28pm UK time). Malaga politician Francisco Javier Salas said the gunman "escaped from the scene" and is being hunted by police. No arrests have been reported so far. The attack is one of several shootings to have taken place in the Costa del Sol region this year, according to reports in Spain. In relation to Saturday night's shooting, the UK Foreign Office told Sky News it had not been approached for consular assistance in the case.
The Herald Scotland
30 minutes ago
- The Herald Scotland
It is time that campervan users are taxed off the NC500
Cross the Rockies from Calgary to Vancouver in Canada and the roads and campsites are absolutely full of them, mainly driven by overseas tourists with all the time in the world on their hands. Over there, they are very much welcomed, although there will undoubtedly be some grumbles from locals who are constantly stuck behind them, To be fair, the main road through the Rockies is pretty decent and there are plenty of places to overtake. But it is a very different situation in Scotland where campervans are treated as public enemy number one, particularly by people who live along the NC500. It is easy to understand why they are so controversial. For a start, the NC500 is not equipped to deal with campervans, particularly the famed Bealach na Ba from Lochcarron to the Applecross peninsula. It is a nerve-wracking series of hairpin bends straight up the hill and it is scary enough when you only have cars coming the other way to worry about. But despite signs at the bottom that state clearly the road is not suitable, many campervan drivers take the risk which is as stupid as it is selfish. It is not just the Bealach na Ba, though, where campervans are causing misery for locals, it is along the entire route - one which just isn't set up for such mass tourism with its sharp bends and single lanes. Glorious it may be but driving it comes with responsibility and that is where many campervan users let themselves down. To be blunt, locals have simply had enough of them and it is hard to argue against them. Read more Alan Simpson Last week, the Labour candidate for the Inverness & Nairn constituency at next year's Holyrood election proposed a tourist tax on campervans visiting the Highlands. Shaun Fraser said the roads 'cannot cope' with the huge increase in traffic in recent years. He said the move would form part of a 'fair and well–designed' visitor levy to help maintain roads and fund public services stretched by surging tourist numbers. The Highlands have seen a dramatic increase in motorhome tourism in recent years, with Highland Council estimating that nearly 36,000 campervans toured the region in 2022 alone. That has led to a surge in complaints about congestion, illegal overnight parking, and waste being dumped. Residents on the NC500 route have reported damaged verges, blocked passing places and overfilled bins during peak season. Highland Council estimates a 5% levy on overnight accommodation could raise £10 million a year — with that figure rising further if a charge on campervans is included. The council held a four–month public consultation on its draft scheme earlier this year and is now considering the feedback ahead of a full council vote. If approved, the levy could come into force by winter 2026 - the earliest permitted under legislation passed by Holyrood last year. That law, the Visitor Levy (Scotland) Act, gives local authorities the power to impose a charge on overnight tourist stays and spend the revenue on services that support tourism. While the levy must be used to fund tourism–related improvements, critics have warned it must not be used to replace core funding lost through years of cuts. Scottish Labour has long supported the introduction of a visitor levy and backed the legislation at Holyrood. The party says councils should be empowered to design their own schemes and use the money to improve facilities for both residents and visitors. However, it was recently criticised by Chancellor Rachel Reeves, who described it as a tax on 'ordinary working people'. Mr Fraser said: 'Initiatives such as the North Coast 500 have transformed the dynamics of Highland tourism, with a huge rise in campervans using rural single–track Highland roads. "Our roads cannot cope with this. It is a mixed blessing.' "Highland communities and local services must benefit from tourism. I support a fair and well–designed visitor levy and sensible measures to manage the impact of campervans. 'I would be open to looking at options attached to campervans, including number plate recognition to charge visiting campervans using Highland roads. I think that this should be considered.' While this may sound draconian, it is certainly well worth considering. Anyone who has driven the NC500, or at least parts of it, particularly in Wester Ross and Sutherland, can see the road is not suitable for such a vast amount of campervans. And with the rise of social media sites such as Instagram fuelling people's desires to get the best pics at beauty spots that regularly feature then the situation is not going to get any better. Any revenue raised that pays for better facilities and road improvements would be welcomed by pretty much everyone. For those put off by the levy, then they probably weren't the type to go and act responsibly anyway. Like everything else, it is not the campervans fault entirely, but the people who drive them and their passengers. They are to blame for the state of the place and there is absolutely no excuse for behaving like savages just because the area is beautiful but remote. They would be the first ones to complain if folk from the Highlands travelled down to their local park, left litter and human waste lying about and parked up on a path for days. Obviously, the good folk of the Highlands wouldn't dream of doing such a thing so why do people from urban areas think it's fair game? It is a good idea to tax them, in my opinion, in fact it should be extremely expensive so that it deters many people. Maybe training courses should also be mandatory, educating people on the right way to drive and behave generally when travelling on rural roads. Tourism is the main economic driver of the Highlands but it is in severe danger of becoming over-visited. It is no longer just a summer thing, but now lasts throughout the year thanks to initiatives such as the NC500. But there is a tipping point and we are probably nearly there already as many of the remotest areas become swamped and can no longer cope. Visitors all have a responsibility when they are on holiday and anything that can deter the irresponsible ones should be welcomed - by everyone.
