Car ferry services suspended on busy Corran route

Car ferry services have been halted on a trouble-hit Highland crossing.

Highland Council's Corran Ferry service in Lochaber has been without its main vessel, MV Corran, for almost a year due to delays affecting a repair.

The relief boat, the older and smaller MV Maid of Glencoul, was put out of action by a breakdown over the weekend.

It returned to service on Monday, before it broke down again on Tuesday. Highland Council has now said repairing the fault could take weeks.

A temporary passenger-only service is currently available.

The five-minute journey across the Corran Narrows, between Corran and Ardgour, is the busiest single-vessel ferry route in Scotland and carries more than 270,000 cars each year.

Highland Council said MV Corran was expected back this month, but added it did not have a precise date when this would happen.

Economy and infrastructure committee chairman Ken Gowans said: "Everything possible has been done to maintain the Maid of Glencoul in service.

"However, the health and safety of all passengers and crew is our main priority and we need to be able to operate a safe and effective service.

"Whilst we appreciate this is a very disappointing setback for everyone concerned, we share the disappointment and the frustration."

Between 15 April and start of June there was a limited passenger service after the MV Maid of Glencoul broke down.

Highland Council and the Ministry of Defence looked at the possibility of using military transport to carry cars, but the proposal was later abandoned.

People living in Sunart, Ardnamurchan, Moidart, Morvern and the Isle of Mull are among those who use the ferry to reach Fort William and beyond.

Visitors use it to reach the hills, glens and beaches of the west Highlands. The alternative to the car ferry is a long detour by road.

Travelling by road from Corran to Ardgour involves a 42-mile (67km) detour.

But some people can face journeys of up to 86 miles (138km) by road, depending on their destination.

Highland Council has warned the alternative road diversion following the A861 would likely be busier than usual.

Mary Ann Kennedy, a businesswoman and broadcaster who lives and works in Ardgour, said affected communities were not shocked by the latest disruption.

She said: "We expect this daily. The boat that is serving us at the moment is nearly 50 years of age.

"She is there to be a back-up - she isn't there to be serving 16 hours a day, seven days a week."

Highland Council officials told Holyrood's transport committee in February the service was at breaking point.

The MV Corran, which went into dry dock last October, is 23 years old while the Maid of Glencoul is more than double that age.

In May, Highland Council proposed making a bid for up to £50m of UK government funding to pay for a new ferry.

There is a longer-term plan to replace ferries with a fixed link, either a bridge or tunnel.