No train on Sundays

Due to engineering work, there will be no Sunday trains serving Alloa from this week, September 16th, until October 21st. This is because of bridge heightening work at Grange Road and Argyle Way, despite the planned electricification (which needed the bridges heightened) being removed from the EGIP Projects plan.
A replacement bus service leaving Alloa at 5 minutes to the hour will connect with trains at Stirling.
Further engineering work on September 29th & October 7th will mean no Sunday through Stirling & Larbert on these days, with bus connections to Falkirk (for Glasgow & Edinburgh) and Perth (for Aberdeen & Inverness)

First axe Alloa & Stirling services

First have announced that their Alloa-Kincardine-Falkirk and Stirling - Airth-Falkirk services will be axed from October from October 29th, with the exception of Council funded journeys on the Stirling route.  First recently lost the tendered journeys on the Alloa service to Stagecoach.
The cuts come just a week after First won the West coast rail franchise that commentators are speculating will cause financial hardship for First. They have already stated that the need to trim their bus operations in the UK to pay off a huge loss on their US operations. They recently closed the Dalkieth depot, and cut back services in East Lothian. More depots are likely to close.
First will expect passengers from Alloa to use Service 60 which was extended to run from Clackmannan - Falkirk via Stirling, although using the Wave service to the Royal Forth Valley Hospital for a connection into Falkirk will be a quicker option.
Places south of the River Forth, like Letham, Airth and Throsk will be left with no service, except recently introduced off peak hospital services.

First revamp Falkirk network - cutting Alloa & Stirling services

First are altering the network within the Falkirk area rom 29 October 2012. Full timetables will be available online from the w/c 17 September 2012 but detailed below is the summary overview.

Service 1 Dunipace " Falkirk - Maddiston
Service 2 Denny " Falkirk - Maddiston
The timetable and route for these services will be revised.
The route for service 1 will be revised to operate Hallglen " Falkirk " Polmont " Redding- Maddiston. The Monday to Saturday daytime frequency will be revised to every 15 minutes.
The service 2 will be revised to operate Dunipace (Barnego Road) " Denny (Braes View) " Bonnybridge (Highland Dykes) " Falkirk. The Monday to Saturday daytime frequency will be revised to operate up to every 12 minutes.
For passengers wishing to travel between Falkirk and Denny (Glasgow Road) they will be able to travel on the new service 19.

Service 3 - Falkirk Wheel " Falkirk " Grangemouth
Service 4/4A " Camelon Ochiltree - Falkirk - Grangemouth
The Monday to Saturday frequency of this service each of these services will be revised to every 15 minutes. The Sunday timetable will remain unchanged. More buses will operate via Camelon Tesco and a more regular frequency provided for Falkirk Community Hospital and Carmuirs Avenue.

Service 5 Langlees " Falkirk - Hallglen
The route of this service has been extended to operate Langlees " Bainsford " Falkirk " Grangemouth " Boness. The Monday to Saturday daytime frequency will be every 20 minutes.

For passengers wishing to travel between Hallglen and Falkirk they will be able to travel on the improved service 1.
For passengers wishing to travel between Falkirk and Callendar Park they will be able to travel on the new service 37.

Services 67/76/6A - Forth Valley Hospital " Falkirk " Grangemouth " Boness
These services will be withdrawn and replaced by the revised service 5 and the new services 6, 7 and 19.

Service 10/11/12 - Larbert Circular
These services will be withdrawn and replaced by new services 6, 7 and 14.

Service 15 " Alloa " Kincardine - Falkirk
This service will be withdrawn. 

Service 16 " Stirling " Airth - Falkirk
This service will be withdrawn with the exception of tendered journeys which we operate on behalf of the councils which are numbered C16. 

Service 17/17A " Limerigg " Slamannan " Falkirk
The route between Slamannan and Limerigg will be withdrawn for most journeys except he journeys which we operate on behalf of Falkirk Council.

Service X19 Forth Valley Royal Hospital " Falkirk " Boness - Edinburgh
First plan to withdraw both from the journeys we operate on a commercial and tendered basis from Monday 19 November 2012. 

Services 29/29A/29C: Falkirk " Bathgate " Livingston
There will be a revision to the route and this service will be curtailed operating only between Falkirk and Bathgate Railway Station. There will be connections available at Bathgate (including service 800) for passengers wishing to travel to Livingston and through fares will be available.

Service 40 : Falkirk " Redding - California
First plan to withdraw from operation of this tendered service from Monday 19 November 2012.

NEW SERVICES BEING INTRODUCED

Service 6: Forth Valley Royal Hospital " Muirhall Road " Carronshore " Falkirk
Service 7: Forth Valley Royal Hospital " Glenbervie " Antonshill " Falkirk
These new services will each operate every 20 minutes Monday to Saturday during the day providing a 10 minute headway on common sections of route. On a Sunday a 20 minute headway will be provided on common sections of route.

Service 14: Stenhousemuir (Lamond View) " Larbert " Camelon " Falkirk " Bainsford
This new service will operate every 30 minutes during the day Monday to Saturday and every 60 minutes on a Sunday.

Service 19: Boness " Grangemouth " Falkirk " Community Hospital " Forth Valley Royal Hospital " Denny( Glasgow Road) - Dunipace
This new Monday to Saturday service will operate every 60 minutes.

Service 37: Callendar Park " Falkirk " Bonnybridge " Greenhill
This new Monday to Saturday service will operate every 60 minutes.

Service X35: Glasgow " Cumbernauld " Falkirk
Service 901: Camelon " Maddiston " Whitecross
Service 902: Larbert Cross " Dunipace
Service 903: Camelon " Tamfourhill/Falkirk Wheel
Service 905: Camelon " Langlees
Service 919: Camelon " Boness
These new services will operate a limited number of journeys.

Any customers wishing to provide any feedback on the summary for the new network can do so by e-mailing marketing.scotlandeast@firstgroup.com
Revised network map (PDF - 39.28 KB)
http://www.firstgroup.com/ukbus/new_ser ... olours.pdf

Falkirk changes

Falkirk Council have reviewed their subsidised schools and service routes, and whilst most services remain, the operators may change from Monday, August 20th. First will take over services from Falkirk to Caldercruix (E20), Fankerton (E21) and Whitecross (E22). At the same time Stagecoach will take over Evening and Sunday journeys on the Falkirk-Alloa (15) route, as well as introducing a new X78 service from Dunfermline-Alloa or Kincardine to feed  the new service.
Due to the logistics, there will be duplicate services, with both First & Stagecoach operating buses from Kincardine- Alloa, and Kincardine-Falkirk early evening.
There is also some confusion over Falkirk Holiday Mondays. The Stagecoach contract with FDC covers a Sunday service on such days, but First have traditionally operated a normal service.
Watch this space.

Hospital routes change - new link for Airth & Kincardine

Changes to bus services serving the Forth Valley Royal Hospital will take effect from Monday August 20th, and will see the hospital linked to Kincardine & Airth.  The new H5 service operating on Mondays to Fridays will be introduced

between Airth/ Kincardine – Stenhouse Road – Stenhousemuir Shopping Centre – Larbert Rail Station

– Forth Valley Royal Hospital partially replacing service H3a:

The service will operate every 30 minutes during morning and afternoon peak periods between

Stenhousemuir Shopping Centre – Larbert Rail Station – Forth Valley Royal Hospital maintaining a

15 minute frequency service at these times between Forth Valley Royal Hospital and Larbert Rail

Station

During the daytime the service will operate every 2 hours between Kincardine – Airth – Stenhouse

Road – Stenhousemuir Shopping Centre – Larbert Rail Station – Forth Valley Royal Hospital

One peak period journey will operate in each direction between Airth – Kincardine – Stenhouse

Road – Stenhousemuir Shopping Centre – Larbert Rail Station – Forth Valley Royal Hospital

Additionally a couple of early morning  and evening H1/H2 services will be diverted to operate via Kincardine 

Rail elecrification postponed

Network Rail and the Scottish Government have revised their plans to electrify the Central Scotland rail network, which was due to be completed in 2016. 

Accounting for the cut in the budget, is the cancellation of the electrification of the Alloa & Dunblane lines, and presumably, the controversial marshalling yard near Stirling.

School bus checks reveal shocking conditions

Nine buses were detected by police to have mechanical defects so serious they were immediately put off the road.

The discovery was made during a five-day operation with officers from Central Scotland Police’s Road Policing Unit and members of the Vehicle and Operator Services Agency (VOSA) at Blair Drummond Safari Park, near Stirling.
Sergeant Bob Murphy, of the force’s Collision Prevention Unit, said: “The buses were checked  while pupils were inside the safari park and those with the serious defects were immediately taken off the road. The operators then had to find an alternative buses to collect the pupils once their visit was over.”
The most serious defect was an emergency door which could not be secured shut.
Sergeant Murphy said: “The door was basically filling the hole. If somebody had leaned against it they could have fallen out and the consequences do not bear thinking about.
Braking defects, a faulty exhaust, oil leaks and a broken seat belt were among the other defects found.
Fifteen drivers were found to be working in excess of their hours or unable to prove the hours they had worked and were not allowed to resume driving until they had had a sufficient rest period.
Sergeant Murphy said: “Bus companies are given the responsibility of safely taking pupils to and from school and on school outings. It is extremely worrying that nine buses were so defective they had to be removed from the road with immediate effect.
“We want to reassure parents that we will do everything we can, along with VOSA, to make sure their children are traveling on buses that are completely roadworthy. We will continue to address this.”
Road Policing Officers also carried out checks on buses transporting pupils to local high schools. Six were found to have minor defects and were given time to have repairs carried out.
The checks were carried out between Monday June 18 and Friday June 22.