Committee Meeting, 26 August, 2006. Inverness

Present: Richard Ardern (RA), Mike Lunan (ML), Angus Stewart (AS), Iain MacDonald (IM), Anne Sutherland (AS) and Gavin Sinclair (GS).

Apologies: Roger Piercy (RP), Ron Stevenson (RS)

Minutes of 27 May meeting agreed.

Matters arising - Anne Sutherland, from Tain, welcomed to the Committee as a representative of the commuter services.

Convener will be the signatory on FoFNL cheques

Membership Update - 142 paid members; 17 new members

AGM rearranged and booked for 25 November in Brora with Bill Reeve, John Thurso and Frank Roach as speakers.

Rolling Stock - RA to attend ACORP meeting in Darlington. ML/RA had a private meeting with Andy Mellors, Fleet Director, First ScotRail. Option of a quiet coach/area discussed RA has written a rolling stock paper to used as a discussion with other train companies and national press.

Room For Growth and Halcrow consultants reports discussed. A response will be written.

GS advised the Committee on the December timetable and the opportunities for a 4th train northbound in light of a letter received from ScotRail via Jim Wallace MSP with whom RA has been in communication. Highland Rail Partnership will be carrying out a full timetable review informing First ScotRail of issues for a timetable recast in December 2007.

RA reported on recent HRP meetings including the ongoing consultations on the R4G studies and the newly published RUS.

ML updated the Committee on the Caithness Transport Vision (CTV) document. The CTV was published, and will be incorporated into the Caithness Socio-Economic Strategy document which will set out the criteria for the investment of funds arising from the Nuclear Decommissioning Agency (NDA). Caithness Transport Forum representatives have met with the Chief Executive of NDA and the Dounreay manager to discuss the issues raised in the CTV, and were complimented on the quality of the document.

Community Councils - RP attended Creich; ML advised that the Ardgay meeting cancelled at short notice

Next Meeting - 9 December, Tain.