RIP the Wee Swilly. 1859-2014.

Losty Dublin

I read today that the Londonderry and Lough Swilly Railway, after 160 years of operating public transport services in the north west of the country, finally appears to be no more after the Inland Revenue successfully petitioned for a winding up order at Belfast's High Court this week. The company employs 80 people on both sides of the border and based in Derry.

The company provides buses on 9 routes in Derry and North Donegal mirroring many of its narrow gauge railway routes as well as providing vehicle testing services and a driving school. The last services are expected to run on Saturday unless a buyer is found by tomorrow. While news on the extent of the debts is scant, it can't but be bad given that it has come this far without reprieve; even a creditors meeting planned for Tuesday has been cancelled.

http://www.derryjournal.com/news/business/passengers-incensed-at-swilly-redundancies-1-6006342

http://www.donegalnow.com/sp/article_manager/detail/lough_swilly_bus_company_to_cease_trading_this_weekend__according_to_a_trade_union

corktina

Indeed the very end of an era....

dublinman1990

I remember seeing some of those buses when I was going around Letterkenny back in May 2008. I had never been on those bus routes as I was there for an outdoor pursuits week with my TY class from Dublin in Gartan Outdoor Education Centre.

We had to private coaches to get around because the centre in Gartan has it's own minibus fleet to ferry the school kids.

But it is no doubt a sad story for the people who live along those 9 routes with an old and steady fleet.

end of the road

very sad news, they provide a lifeline for the communities along the routes they serve, hopefully they will be bought and can continue to be a lifeline for the communities along the routes they operate.
a good documentary here for anyone interested
http://www.rte.ie/radio1/doconone/swilly.html

Banjoxed

Indeed. The Swilly's owners aren't stuck at the moment, apparently:

http://donegalnews.com/2013/11/dohertys-harcourt-profits-double/

But it seems that BE and Translink will have to take up the slack after HMRC in the North possibly takes a bath for moneys due, according to the attached articles:

http://inishowenindo.ie/2014/04/ulsterbus-considering-lough-swilly-routes/

http://www.highlandradio.com/2014/04/17/update-bus-eireann-says-lough-swilly-school-runs-will-be-replaced-after-easter/

http://m.derryjournal.com/news/business/hmrc-seeks-wind-up-of-swilly-1-5951457

foggy_lad

Bus Eireann already have a revised timetable in place for services between Letterkenny and Londonderry.

http://www.buseireann.ie/pdf/1397754631-Copy-of-Letterkenny-Derry-summary-timetable-from-Tuesday-22nd-April-(2).pdf

Banjoxed

Some very sketchy details from the National Transport Authority regarding temporary arrangements for two of the Swilly's routes:

http://194.97.141.164:86/ics/XSLT_CM_SHOWADDINFO_REQUEST?infoID=21241_NTA&seqID=3

McGonagle's AFAIK trade as Foyle Coaches and Northwest Busways. The Bus Éireann timetable for the Letterkenny route put up by foggy_lad tallies with this statement as well.

Northwest Busways already operate a very sketchy service of four buses daily from Carndonagh and Moville to Derry via Quigley's Point on the eastern side of Inishowen and for the time being there is no replacement for the extra bus operated by the Swilly from Greencastle and Moville on Mondays to Fridays.

Translink have had a statement read on BBC Radio Foyle that their existing Ulsterbus Foyle FY16 service from Foyle Street to Culmore, which filled some of the many gaps in the Swilly timetable on their own route from Culmore Point, will be expanded from six to ten buses a day, and the Inishowen Independent has reported on its Twitter feed that the Swilly's Muff - Culmore - Derry service will be taken over by Ulsterbus, at least temporarily. Hopefully this will be permanent as it brings a semi-reliable bus service within four miles of my house.

No information yet as to the Fanad and Gweedore/Crolly services abandoned so far by the Swilly's demise.

Losty Dublin

It's as if Swilly had arranged these replacement services with the other operators.

Banjoxed wrote: »

Some very sketchy details from the National Transport Authority regarding temporary arrangements for two of the Swilly's routes:

http://194.97.141.164:86/ics/XSLT_CM_SHOWADDINFO_REQUEST?infoID=21241_NTA&seqID=3

McGonagle's AFAIK trade as Foyle Coaches and Northwest Busways. The Bus Éireann timetable for the Letterkenny route put up by foggy_lad tallies with this statement as well.

Northwest Busways already operate a very sketchy service of four buses daily from Carndonagh and Moville to Derry via Quigley's Point on the eastern side of Inishowen and for the time being there is no replacement for the extra bus operated by the Swilly from Greencastle and Moville on Mondays to Fridays.

Translink have had a statement read on BBC Radio Foyle that their existing Ulsterbus Foyle FY16 service from Foyle Street to Culmore, which filled some of the many gaps in the Swilly timetable on their own route from Culmore Point, will be expanded from six to ten buses a day, and the Inishowen Independent has reported on its Twitter feed that the Swilly's Muff - Culmore - Derry service will be taken over by Ulsterbus, at least temporarily. Hopefully this will be permanent as it brings a semi-reliable bus service within four miles of my house.

No information yet as to the Fanad and Gweedore/Crolly services abandoned so far by the Swilly's demise.

Banjoxed

Yes. It does have the impression of the rubber stamp about it alright. I suspect that Gweedore and Fanad will be left to the Dial-a-Granny services.

currins_02

Banjoxed wrote: »

Some very sketchy details from the National Transport Authority regarding temporary arrangements for two of the Swilly's routes:

http://194.97.141.164:86/ics/XSLT_CM_SHOWADDINFO_REQUEST?infoID=21241_NTA&seqID=3

McGonagle's AFAIK trade as Foyle Coaches and Northwest Busways. The Bus Éireann timetable for the Letterkenny route put up by foggy_lad tallies with this statement as well.

Northwest Busways already operate a very sketchy service of four buses daily from Carndonagh and Moville to Derry via Quigley's Point on the eastern side of Inishowen and for the time being there is no replacement for the extra bus operated by the Swilly from Greencastle and Moville on Mondays to Fridays.

Translink have had a statement read on BBC Radio Foyle that their existing Ulsterbus Foyle FY16 service from Foyle Street to Culmore, which filled some of the many gaps in the Swilly timetable on their own route from Culmore Point, will be expanded from six to ten buses a day, and the Inishowen Independent has reported on its Twitter feed that the Swilly's Muff - Culmore - Derry service will be taken over by Ulsterbus, at least temporarily. Hopefully this will be permanent as it brings a semi-reliable bus service within four miles of my house.

No information yet as to the Fanad and Gweedore/Crolly services abandoned so far by the Swilly's demise.

Firstly, the Buncrana-Derry licence has been temporaarily granted to McGonagle Bus & Coach hire of Buncrana. I beleive it is an 8 week interim licence and it is an open market with regard to applications duriing that time. Equally Bus Eireann have been granted temporary additions to services 64 and 480 to cover Letterkenny-Derry for 8 weeks while full applications are made.

A number of other operators have publicly stated interest in some or all of the routes. A number of applications were made but only the above have been passed to date - hardly a rubber stamp job but sure let the conspiracy theory roll.

All Swilly operated schools have been offered for tender with tenders due back next week, all tenders will be just for the remaining school terms.

McGonagle Bus & Coach hire are based in Buncrana and Derry and have never operated a service AFAIK before. They are NO CONNECTION whatsoever with J McGonagle/Foyle Coaches/NorthWest Busways of Redcastle. NorthWest Busways have a statement on their Facebook this evening that they have been denied a temporary licence for Ballyliffin - Derry via Clonmany & Buncrana but are applying again. McGonagle, Buncrana, will operate Cockhill (outside Buncrana) to Derry hourly from 8:10am to 18:10am Monday to Friday, then reduced services on Saturdays & Sundays from 20th April until further notice - detail from timetable I saw this evening.

Many Swilly vehicles (including all Volvo's bought last year) owned by a sister company who leased them back into Swilly, these have returned to that company with some suggestions that company may seek an operators licence of it's own.

Copyerselveson

currins_02 wrote: »

Firstly, the Buncrana-Derry licence has been temporaarily granted to McGonagle Bus & Coach hire of Buncrana. I beleive it is an 8 week interim licence and it is an open market with regard to applications duriing that time. Equally Bus Eireann have been granted temporary additions to services 64 and 480 to cover Letterkenny-Derry for 8 weeks while full applications are made.

A number of other operators have publicly stated interest in some or all of the routes. A number of applications were made but only the above have been passed to date - hardly a rubber stamp job but sure let the conspiracy theory roll.

All Swilly operated schools have been offered for tender with tenders due back next week, all tenders will be just for the remaining school terms.

McGonagle Bus & Coach hire are based in Buncrana and Derry and have never operated a service AFAIK before. They are NO CONNECTION whatsoever with J McGonagle/Foyle Coaches/NorthWest Busways of Redcastle. NorthWest Busways have a statement on their Facebook this evening that they have been denied a temporary licence for Ballyliffin - Derry via Clonmany & Buncrana but are applying again. McGonagle, Buncrana, will operate Cockhill (outside Buncrana) to Derry hourly from 8:10am to 18:10am Monday to Friday, then reduced services on Saturdays & Sundays from 20th April until further notice - detail from timetable I saw this evening.

Many Swilly vehicles (including all Volvo's bought last year) owned by a sister company who leased them back into Swilly, these have returned to that company with some suggestions that company may seek an operators licence of it's own.

It would be good to see a more frequent service emerging on the Greencastle-Moville-Derry route out of this unfortunate business. The existing Northwest Busways service is little better than the one operated by the Swilly some forty years ago and that's despite a larger population in East Inishowen.

People don't tend to use the bus as the service isn't frequent enough and finishes early in the evening. Imagine if there was a half hourly bus service between Moville and Derry from early in the morning until late at night seven days a week. That might just prise Derry bound commuters from their cars.

Banjoxed

A last look (for now?) at the Swilly bus for Buncrana about to depart Foyle Street Bus Station today at twelve o'clock.

MGWR

Losty Dublin wrote: »

I read today that the Londonderry and Lough Swilly Railway, after 160 years of operating public transport services in the north west of the country, finally appears to be no more after the Inland Revenue successfully petitioned for a winding up order at Belfast's High Court this week. The company employs 80 people on both sides of the border and based in Derry.

The company provides buses on 9 routes in Derry and North Donegal mirroring many of its narrow gauge railway routes as well as providing vehicle testing services and a driving school. The last services are expected to run on Saturday unless a buyer is found by tomorrow. While news on the extent of the debts is scant, it can't but be bad given that it has come this far without reprieve; even a creditors meeting planned for Tuesday has been cancelled.

http://www.derryjournal.com/news/business/passengers-incensed-at-swilly-redundancies-1-6006342

http://www.donegalnow.com/sp/article_manager/detail/lough_swilly_bus_company_to_cease_trading_this_weekend__according_to_a_trade_union

Another victim of government interference. Just like the railway service this started out as.

corktina

Actually speaking the L&LSR suffered from a lack of Government interference having found itself with a foot in either camp each side of the border (and it shouldn't be forgotten that major parts of it were built with Government funding and assistance...) .Same story with the far more successful CDR. Had either been entirely in the Republic they would have become part of CIE...the outcome would have been the same however, just look at the thoroughly modernised West Clare which barely survived it's northern cousins.

dowlingm

MGWR wrote: »

Another victim of government interference

How so?