Greenock cruise ship tourists lose out to rail strike
- Published
American Jim Miller had planned to spend the day in Glasgow with his wife, but found there was little room on local buses
As rail workers took strike action on Wednesday, many people were forced to find alternative ways of getting to work. BBC Scotland News journalist Ashleigh Keenan-Bryce opted for the bus - but found commuters and tourists alike facing long delays.
Like many Scots, my morning commute relies on an early morning train to Scotland's busiest station, Glasgow Central.
With Wednesday's strikes, I would need to use the bus to get me to work.
As I arrived at the bus depot, I saw a line snaking its way up the terminus and out the door.
The gathered crowd contained not only commuters, but also passengers from one of the cruise ships that regularly dock in Greenock.
There were likely a few thousand people from the Celebrity Silhouette cruise ship looking for a way into Glasgow - and it seemed many were hoping to use the local bus service.
Although a bus to Glasgow was already at the stand, there was no space on board for more passengers.
Other passengers who had tried to board the bus were leaving after being told the card reader was broken.
Taking the bus was one of the only options available for many people today
Among those waiting was American Jim Miller, who was using his time off the cruise ship to visit Glasgow with his wife.
"We're just trying to get to Glasgow and this is making it difficult," he said.
"We only have a short time here. We're back on the ship at 2.30pm so it's holding up our excursion a bit."
Mr Miller said they would likely be affected by strike action at the weekend as well.
"We planned to get the train back to Heathrow when we go back to London for our flight home and now we can't do that."
Buses were still turning up every 15 minutes - but they were already full when they arrived. Many passengers were forced to wait for two hours or more.
The cruise ship passengers had only a few hours onshore, and many deliberated whether it was worth the effort to go to Glasgow only to turn around almost immediately and come back.
Despite the delays, locals and tourists talked and laughed all the way to Glasgow
Mingling with the sightseers was also the normal cohort of commuters hoping, like me, that they might somehow get to work.
Anne-Marie Smith, from Greenock, said she found the whole situation a "nightmare".
"I don't really understand all of this because all the trains have only just gone back to their normal timetables, so why are they striking again?" she said.
"I don't really understand why it's all happening again."
A regular commuter, Ms Smith said she thought the local bus operator could have done more to anticipate the extra load on services.
"I think McGill's should have put more buses on, 100%. They should have prepared in advance."
This week's strikes do not involve Scotrail, but members of the RMT Union working for Network Rail and 14 train operating companies. They are part of an ongoing row over pay and jobs.
Wednesday's walkout is to be followed by further industrial action on Thursday 18 August and Saturday 20 August.
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- Published27 July 2022
