Aberdeen to Inverness Line
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Aberdeen-Inverness Line |
| Principal stations (from south to north)
Aberdeen |
The Aberdeen to Inverness Line is a railway line in Scotland linking Aberdeen and Inverness.
[edit] Current services
Passenger services are operated by First ScotRail. There are also freight operations on the line.
The route serves the following cities, towns and villages (Ordnance Survey grid references for stations):
| Places | Grid references |
| and other notes | |
| Aberdeen | NJ941058 |
| Connection with the Edinburgh to Aberdeen Line | |
| Dyce | NJ884128 |
| Inverurie | NJ775218 |
| Insch | NJ629275 |
| Huntly | NJ535396 |
| Keith | NJ429516 |
| Connection with the preserved Keith and Dufftown Railway | |
| Elgin | NJ218621 |
| Forres | NJ029589 |
| Nairn | NH881560 |
| Inverness | NH667454 |
| Connections with the Highland Main Line, the Far North Line and, via Dingwall on the Far North Line, the Kyle of Lochalsh Line |
[edit] History
The route includes part of the former Great North of Scotland Railway – the southern portion of which part was built over the route of the Aberdeenshire Canal; the Inverness and Aberdeen Junction Railway; and the Inverness and Nairn Railway. The latter two merged to form the Highland Railway. The Highland Railway operated the line from Inverness to Keith: The Great North operated the line from there to Aberdeen. The Highland was grouped with other railways into the London Midland and Scottish Railway and the Great North was grouped into the London and North Eastern Railway by the Railways Act 1921, before eventually becoming part of British Railways in 1948.
Many intermediate stations were closed at various dates in the 1950s and 1960s to both passenger and goods traffic. The Beeching Report of 1963 recommended the closure of Inverurie and Insch stations but these remain open. Dyce station was reopened to serve Aberdeen Airport.
Today the tracks belong to Network Rail. Passenger services are operated by First Scotrail. There is some limited freight traffic, with Elgin retaining a goods yard.
