October Newsletter – Harbour Spotlight

 

Gourock Ferry Terminal

Fast facts:
  • Our most easterly port
  • One of 10 CMAL ports in the Firth of Clyde
  • One of only four CMAL ports with an adjacent railway station. The others are Oban, Wemyss Bay and Largs.

 

Facilities: vehicle marshalling area, linkspan, passenger berth, terminal building with ticket office, waiting room and toilets, and access to adjacent train station and bus stances.

 

Gourock Ferry Terminal has been on our priority list for several years. A lot of the harbour infrastructure is nearing 50 years old and needs to be upgraded and modernised. Our regular inspections have identified the growing need for attention and repair. The recurrence of technical problems has gradually increased in recent years, causing disruption and inconvenience for passengers.

We have been discussing potential replacement options for key aspects of the harbour infrastructure with Transport Scotland for a number of years. Finally, in late 2019, high-level options were given the green light and we have been able to progress long-terms plans.

The Gourock Harbour Infrastructure & Vessels Project, a partnership between Transport Scotland, Caledonian Maritime Assets Limited (CMAL), CalMac and Argyll & Bute Council has been established. The project covers the redevelopment of Gourock Ferry Terminal, harbour infrastructure works at Dunoon, delivery of new vessels and, as a recent addition, pier infrastructure works at Kilcreggan. Meeting our commitment to community engagement, we have also established a reference group of local stakeholders, including Dunoon Community Council, Inverclyde Community Council, Cove and Kilcreggan Community Council, Argyll and Inverclyde councillors, HITRANS and SPT, to ensure ferry users have their say.

It has been a long road to get to this point and it is anticipated it will be around five years until the project is complete. In the meantime, we have started a project to extend the life of the current linkspan, which will allow Gourock to once again be used as an alternative mainland port for vehicle services. It is expected the linkspan will be available for vehicle use by the end of 2020.

When complete, the master plan will give passengers a modern and more reliable ferry service.  You can keep up to date with all of the work at Gourock here.