It is a good news/bad news thing.
Fort William will lose its sleeper service for three weekends in February due to engineering works.
But on the bright side, The Caledonian Sleeper will travel between London and Oban instead as a test run for possible future expansion.
The Argyll resort town will replace Fort William as the final stop on the West Highland Line, which links London with the west coast of Scotland, on the weekends of 12/14, 19/21 and 26/28 February 2016.
Caledonian Sleeper’s management took the decision to extend the route to Oban during the planned engineering works to test customer appetite as they consider plans for potential route expansion in the future.
Peter Strachan, managing director of the Caledonian Sleeper, which is operated by Serco, said: “We are altering our service in February due to planned engineering works by Network Rail. We have chosen to stop at Oban rather than provide bus travel from Tulloch because we would like to receive feedback on this route from guests and local businesses to inform our long-term planning.
“Oban is a popular destination for tourists as well as being known as the gateway to the isles, with a ferry service to many islands, including Mull, Lismore and Kerrera.
“As we continue to progress our plans for the Caledonian Sleeper service over the next 15 years we are keen to explore the possibility of extending our route. While stopping in Oban is a short-term solution for a few weekends in February it will give us the chance to test the appetite locally.”
Those passengers travelling on to Fort William on the weekends service alterations are in place will be provided with alternative transport by bus from Oban.
For more information about the Caledonian Sleeper or to make a booking please visit sleeper.scot