A full business case on the economic benefits – including tourism impacts – of a sleeper rail service linking Caithness with the central belt is to be investigated.
The north’s transport partnership, Hitrans, is progressing its ambitious proposals to the next stage, believing sleeper trains would be a massive boost to the northern Highlands – and Orkney if timed to connect with ferry services to the islands.
The Hitrans board yesterday gave its backing for further work to be carried out to examine the benefits of a sleeper service – dubbed The Midnight Train to Georgemas after one of the train stations the proposed sleeper would visit in the far north.
Caithness MSP Gail Ross welcomed the latest development, saying: “I have been involved in the plans to create a sleeper train from Caithness since its inception. I’m delighted that this is now progressing to the business case and will give all my support to it.”
Hitrans has already held very early talks with the franchise holder of the cross-border Caledonian Sleeper service over the possibility of running a nightly service linking Thurso with Inverness, Aberdeen, Edinburgh and Glasgow.
Partnership manager Frank Roach said: “Hitrans will be looking to do some more work now on the business case, including wider economic benefits.
“The work [done so far] on the feasibility of a Caithness- Edinburgh and Glasgow overnight rail service has shown that there is a strong case for further investigation of the wider economic benefits, including tourism impacts, of the improved connectivity arising from a sleeper train linking Orkney, the Northern Highlands and Inverness with the Central Belt.”
Trudy Morris, chief executive of Caithness Chamber of Commerce, described the latest development as “good news”, adding: “We welcome any investment and opportunities which gives better connectivity for the North Highlands and adds to its attractiveness.
“A full business case study should ensure it doesn’t have a detrimental effect on existing or other modes of transport and that it enhances what the North has to offer. We are quite often the poor relations when it comes to transport infrastructure and investment.”
The Thurso to Edinburgh/Glasgow rail journey overnight would cover around 328 miles in just over seven hours.
Mr Roach proposes a service with two sleeper carriage and two seated carriages leaving Thurso at 7.30pm, reaching Inverness at 11.30pm, Aberdeen at 2.30am and Edinburgh at 5.30am.
A northbound train would leave Edinburgh at 11.50pm, arriving in Thurso for 10.30am, replacing an existing ScotRail service leaving Inverness at 7.02am.
