CalMac announces timetable changes amid winter disruption as repairs to MV Caledonian Isles brought forward

CalMac has announced amendments to its timetable to help services cope with winter disruption.

It comes as repairs on the MV Caledonian Isles, Scotland’s busiest ferry, are brought forward.

The ship has been out of service since January for major repairs, with its return delayed multiple times.

The vessel was originally due to undergo an overhaul in January 2025 with works estimated to take four weeks.

However, the vessel will now be moved to drydock on October 23, for works to be carried out alongside the overhaul of its port gearbox.

The ferry operator said vessels will be redeployed across the network from October 18, until November 15, to meet “anticipated and booked demand” on major routes.

The main change will see services operating to South Uist and Barra combined.

The ferry operator said this new schedule will mean the vessel is off-service for “significantly” less time than previously estimated.

A CalMac spokesperson said: “We know amending timetables and combining services is disruptive, but we’ve analysed carrying data and bookings for this upcoming period and these indicate a shared service for Barra and South Uist will meet capacity requirements.

“Our priority is to provide services which meet the minimum requirements for every island during this challenging period,” the spokesperson added.

“We want to make best use of the time we have with the vessel off-service and it is the prudent thing to do to carry out as much of this work as possible now.

“Whilst this does not alleviate service challenges in the short-term, we hope it will benefit us in the new year.”