Gallanach - Kerrera

Headline route information

  • Mainland port: Gallanach
  • Island port: Kerrera
  • Check-in-time: 5-minutes prior to departure for passengers and cars
  • Crossing time: 5-minutes
  • Vessels: MV Carvoria
  • Overnight berth: Kerrera

Introduction

The Gallanach to Kerrera route was historically operated by a private individual but was incorporated into the Clyde and Hebridean Ferry Services (CHFS) network on 1st July 2017. A new vessel, MV Carvoria, was built to serve the route and is a workboat capable of accommodating 12 passengers.

Step 1: Route Service Level

The table below sets out the incremental ‘Route Service Levels’ which have been developed for this methodology:

Table 7.1: Route Service Level definitions
Level Description Example
A Shared single vessel, single crewed Several routes in Orkney including: Rousay, Egilsay and Wyre; Stromness - Graemsay / Hoy; and Houton - Lyness / Flotta
B Shared single vessel, with more than a single crew Uig - Tarbert / Lochmaddy (summer, currently)
C Dedicated single vessel, single crewed Various 'small vessel' routes in the CHFS network, e.g., Sconser - Raasay, Tayinloan - Gigha etc
D Dedicated single vessel with more than a single crew Colintraive - Rhubodach, which uses a shift system to offer an extended operating day
E Two dedicated vessels, each with a single crew There are no routes with this operating model currently, Wemyss Bay - Rothesay being the closest
F Two dedicated vessels, with one operating with more than a single crew Several routes on the Shetland inter-island network, e.g., Symbister - Laxo / Vidlin
G Two dedicated vessels, with both operating with more than a single crew CalMac Ferries Ltd (CFL) Gourock - Dunoon route

Where the table refers to ‘more than a single crew’ (Levels B, D, F and G), this could be a small additional crew complement to extend the day or a full second crew. The crewing model will be described in the narrative which follows.

The operating day of a single crewed vessel is limited to the maximum hours that can be delivered by a single crew within the hours of work regulations and crew contractual agreements. ‘More than a single crew’ is where a small number of additional crew are added to the complement to extend the operating day. However, this falls short of a full extra crew.

The table below allocates the Gallanach - Kerrera route to its relevant Route Service Level for both the winter and summer timetables, with commentary provided in the following sections.

Table 7.2: Allocation of Gallanach - Kerrera route to levels
Timetable/Route Service Level Level A Level B Level C Level D Level E Level F Level G
Winter No No Yes No No No No
Summer No No Yes No No No No

Categorisation of waters

MV Carvoria is coded as a workboat rather than a passenger ferry. She is therefore restricted to carrying 12 passengers.

Length of Operating Day

Winter

The table below summarises the length of the operating day and week for the Gallanach - Kerrera service.

Table 7.3: MV Carvoria – Gallanach - Kerrera, length of operating day – winter (hh:mm)
Day Start-Up Sailing-Day Close Down Length of operating day
Monday 0:15 9:46 0:15 10:16
Tuesday 0:15 9:46 0:15 10:16
Wednesday 0:15 9:46 0:15 10:16
Thursday 0:15 9:46 0:15 10:16
Friday 0:15 9:46 0:15 10:16
Saturday 0:15 9:46 0:15 10:16
Sunday 0:15 9:46 0:15 10:16
Total 1:45 68:22 1:45 71:52

MV Carvoria is operated by a single Kerrera-based crew and can deliver the weekly sailing hours within the regulatory maximum. The crew work on a one week-on, one week-off basis. 

Summer

The table below summarises the length of the operating day and week:

Table 7.4: MV Carvoria – Gallanach - Kerrera, length of operating day – summer (hh:mm)
Day Start-Up Sailing-Day Close Down Length of operating day
Monday 0:15 9:46 0:15 10:16
Tuesday 0:15 9:46 0:15 10:16
Wednesday 0:15 9:46 0:15 10:16
Thursday 0:15 9:46 0:15 10:16
Friday 0:15 9:46 0:15 10:16
Saturday 0:15 9:46 0:15 10:16
Sunday 0:15 9:46 0:15 10:16
Total 1:45 68:22 1:45 71:52

The winter crewing arrangement is the same as the summer.

Route specific characteristics

  • As noted at the outset, this route is operated by a workboat-coded vessel, which is limited to 12-passengers. It is understood that, on busy summer days, the crew will depart from the timetable and run the vessel in ‘shuttle mode’ where required
  • MV Carvoria is limited both in physical size and in terms of the loads that she can carry. There is however a heavy freight service operated to the island circa six times per year to support the agricultural sector. It is understood that this service is arranged independently by island residents
  • Many, if not most, Kerrera residents have an on-island car (where no MOT is required) and a second car parked at Gallanach or in Oban

Step 2: Analysis of connectivity

This section summarises headline connectivity in terms of the number of ferry connections provided and time on-mainland and on-island. The interactive dashboard includes further detailed connectivity analysis, including information related to onward connectivity.

Winter Connections

The table below summarises the first departure, last arrival, number of connections per day and time on mainland / island:

Table 7.5: Gallanach - Kerrera winter timetable summary (Source: www.calmac.co.uk)
Departing Kerrera Gallanach
Day Mon-Sun Mon-Sun
First departure 08:20 08:26
Last arrival 18:06 18:00
No. of sailings 11 11
Time on mainland Nil Nil
Time on island 09:24 Nil

The same timetable is operated seven days per week on this route. This is actually somewhat different to most short routes, where the Sunday timetable is scaled back considerably relative to weekdays and Saturdays.

It should be noted that time on mainland and time on island are calculated from published timetables and may differ slightly from the interactive dashboard, which is based on actual departure and arrival times.

Summer Connections

This route operates over the same length of day in the summer, but with a higher frequency service therein. The table below summarises the first departure, last arrival, number of connections per day and time on mainland / island:

Table 7.6: Gallanach - Kerrera summer timetable summary (Source: www.calmac.co.uk)
Departing Kerrera Gallanach
Day Mon-Sun Mon-Sun
First departure 08:20 08:26
Last arrival 18:06 18:00
No. of sailings 16 16
Time on mainland Nil 09:36
Time on island 09:24 Nil

The length of operating day, and hence time on mainland and island, is the same in summer as in winter. However, an additional five sailings per day are operated (16 versus 11).

Connecting public transport

The interactive dashboard incorporates a detailed breakdown of onward connectivity from all ports on the network, including connecting bus and rail services and contour-based journey time mapping. Key headlines include:

  • There is no formal public transport in Kerrera
  • The 417 bus operates twice per day in each direction from Gallanach:
    • The first bus of the day connects with the first departure to Kerrera and the first arrival from Gallanach
    • The second bus connects with the 16:06 departure from Gallanach. Arriving passengers from the 16:00 Kerrera service can catch this bus on its return to Oban at 16:12
  • Whilst limited, the connections to Oban allow interchange with onward bus and rail services to Glasgow, amongst other destinations

The figure below shows onward connectivity (drive times) by car from Gallanach. This is broken down to journey times of 0 minutes (in blue), 1-30 minutes (in green), 31-60 minutes (in yellow), 61-90 minutes (in amber) and 91-120 minutes (in red):

Figure 7.1: Onward journey times by car from Gallanach and Kerrera, as described in text above
Figure 7.1: Onward journey times by car from Gallanach and Kerrera

Step 3: Carryings, capacity utilisation and performance

This section sets out the key route headlines with regards to carryings, capacity utilisation and performance – described in the form of answers to questions. The data / charts underlying this commentary are included in Appendix A, and detailed route specific data, including sailing-by-sailing analysis, is provided in the interactive dashboard. The appendix covers the period to the end of calendar year 2022, as a full year of 2023 sailing-by-sailing data was not available at the time of its production.

What have been the key supply-side changes since 2014?

In order to understand recent route trends with regards to carryings, capacity utilisation and performance, it is important to record the primary supply-side changes over the last decade or so.

2017

  • On 1st July 2017, the route was transferred into the Clyde and Hebrides Ferry Services (CHFS) network and thereafter was operated by CFL
  • On 5th September 2017, MV Carvoria entered service

How have carryings changed over time?

  • The introduction of MV Carvoria in 2017 and the general modernisation of the route has supported a strong growth in passenger numbers. In 2017, passenger carryings were circa 27,000, which had increased to 64,000 by 2022
  • Car carryings have also grown strongly, from 455 in 2017 to 2,230 in 2022. Car traffic volumes are though very low in absolute terms, with most Kerrera residents keeping their main car at Gallanach

How has reliability and punctuality changed over time?

  • The short nature of the route means that cancellations and delays are generally rare, accounting for circa 1%-3% of all sailings per annum
  • The number of cancellations and delays varies by year and there is no clear trend in this respect

Why are sailings cancelled?

  • The majority of cancellations are caused by adverse weather, although “Scottish Government approved” cancellations were relatively prominent in 2021 and 2022 – it is not entirely clear what these relate but may be COVID-19 related

Why are sailings delayed?

  • Delays are primarily caused by knock-on delays from a previous sailing (not uncommon on high frequency routes with short turnaround times), late traffic and loading related delays, perhaps reflecting the very limited capacity of MV Carvoria, which will be a particular issue when a larger or heavier load needs to be carried

How many days per year do services operate to timetable?

  • The number of days that have operated to timetable (i.e., all sailings on that day arrived on time) varies year-on-year, with a low of 78% in 2018 and a high of 92% in 2019. This level of variation is unsurprising on a short route with tight turnaround times and a high frequency service. Moreover, it is likely that the vessel will be held where required to accommodate late arrivals from e.g., trains and buses at Oban
  • A better measure here is therefore the percentage of individual sailings operated to timetable. This has generally been around 98%-99% since the route adopted its current form in 2017

How often has the vehicle deck been full or nearly full?

2014-2022

  • The vehicle deck capacity of MV Carvoria is very limited (2 cars). In 2020 and 2021, just under one fifth of sailings were full. Whilst this is a relatively high proportion, the route is operated frequently and the island-based crew means that its operation is likely tailored to community needs to some degree

2022 by month

  • The utilisation by month is broadly reflective of the annual average. In any given month, around a tenth to a fifth of sailings are full. There are generally more full sailings in the winter than in the summer