If you have travelled as a foot passenger on the MV Isle of Mull since she returned to service, you will know that the passenger access system (PAS, or gangway) is broken, and all passengers have to embark / disembark via the cardeck and linkspan.
The PAS is the responsibility of CMAL (unlike the pier itself, which is owned by Argyll and Bute Council). After some patient enquiry (it took 2 weeks), CMAL have told us this:
Please note this interim update on the passenger access system (PAS) at Craignure Ferry Terminal.
The PAS at Craignure Ferry Terminal is currently out of service and, following assessment, it will not be returned to service in the short term. We understand this news will have impacts for the local community, businesses and those travelling through Craignure, particularly as we approach the busier summer period.
CMAL is working closely with CalMac Ferries and will continue to liaise with Argyll and Bute Council and Transport Scotland to look at the best way forward. This includes considering arrangements for passenger access and any wider operational implications.
We will share further update as soon as we are able. Updates on operational impacts will be shared by CalMac when available .
Thank you for your patience and understanding in the meantime.
A lot of words that don’t tell us much more than ‘its broken and we don’t know when it will be fixed’.
Aside from being inconvenient and shoddy, the absence of a PAS for our busiest sailings is lengthening turnaround times and delaying services. If you are making a connecting journey from Oban be aware that if the connection is tight, there is a an increased risk that you will miss it. In particular:
11:05 from Craignure, arriving in Oban at 11:55 to connect with the 12:11 train
13:35 from Craignure, arriving in Oban at 14:25 to connect with the 14:41 train
17:05 from Craignure, arriving in Oban at 17:55 to connect with the 18:11 train
Local CalMac management have (as is typical) been much more open, communicative and active. Now they are aware that this is a long-term issue that is likely to take months rather than weeks to resolve, they are looking at ways of speeding up turnaround times, adjusting timetables, and finding a solution to the gangway problem.
The PAS on Craignure pier is made from a collection of second-hand parts, first installed in something of a rush in 2011, when the first PAS abruptly came to the end of its life. It was intended as a temporary stop-gap.
Argyll and Bute council last year decided not to replace the PAS, preferring instead to delay renewal until the new pier is built in approximately 4 year’s time.