| Corrour | |
|---|---|
| Coire Odhar | |
| Corrour station | |
| Location | |
| Place | Loch Ossian |
| Local authority | Highland |
| Operations | |
| Station code | CRR |
| Managed by | First ScotRail |
| Number of platforms | 1 |
| Live arrivals/departures and station information from National Rail Enquiries |
|
| Annual rail passenger usage | |
| 2005/06 * | 9,885 |
| 2006/07 * | 11,045 |
| 2007/08 * | 13,226 |
| 2008/09 * | 12,724 |
| 2009/10 * | 12,280 |
| History | |
| Original company | West Highland Railway |
| Pre-grouping | North British Railway |
| Post-grouping | LNER |
| 7 August 1894 | Opened[1] |
| National Rail - UK railway stations | |
| A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z | |
| * Annual estimated passenger usage based on sales of tickets in stated financial year(s) which end or originate at Corrour from Office of Rail Regulation statistics. Please note: methodology may vary year on year. | |
Corrour railway station is a railway station on the West Highland Line, Scotland. It is situated near Loch Ossian and Loch Treig, on the Corrour Estate. It is the highest mainline railway station in the United Kingdom.
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The railway station is one of the most remote stations in the United Kingdom, at an isolated location on Rannoch Moor. The station is not accessible by any public roads – the nearest road is 10 miles (16 km) away. The original Station House reopened in May 2010, providing a cafe and bed and breakfast accommodation run by the Scottish Youth Hostel Association. At 408 m (1,339 ft) above sea level the station provides a convenient starting point for hill-walkers and Munro-baggers. Loch Ossian Hostel, one of the most remote youth hostels in the UK, is about one mile from the railway station.
Sir John Stirling-Maxwell (10th Baronet of Pollok, KT) purchased Corrour Estate in 1891 and initially used it as a "playground" for gentlemen, primarily focusing on activities such as stalking and hunting.[2] To make it accessible for his guests, Sir Stirling-Maxwell gave access to the West Highland Railway Company to build across his land on condition that they build a railway station for him on his estate. This station opened to passengers on 7 August 1894.[1] It was originally built to serve the Corrour sporting estate, whose owners were investors in the railway. Guests visiting the estate for deer stalking and grouse shooting were taken from the station to the head of Loch Ossian by horse drawn carriage. A small steamer then transported them to shooting lodge at the far end of the loch.
The station was laid out with a passing loop around an island platform and a siding on the east side. Since November 1985, all passenger trains have used the original Down platform. The Up loop remains but it is no longer used by passenger trains. There had been a footbridge at Corrour station providing an exit to the east side, but it was moved to Rannoch railway station following the downgrading of the Up loop at Corrour. Passengers now cross the line by way of a footpath.
Corrour station is connected by regular services linking Glasgow Queen Street with Fort William and Mallaig. These local services run generally thrice daily in each direction, but less frequently on Sundays.
Despite its remote location – Corrour boasts a direct connection to London via the Caledonian Sleeper to and from London Euston (daily except Saturday nights in each direction), The journey from London to Corrour takes just under twelve hours.
All services serving Corrour are run by First ScotRail.
| Preceding station | National Rail | Following station | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rannoch | First ScotRail West Highland Line |
Tulloch | ||
| Rannoch | First ScotRail Highland Caledonian Sleeper |
Tulloch | ||
| Historical railways | ||||
| Rannoch | North British Railway |
Tulloch | ||
The signal box, which had 13 levers, was situated to the south of the island platform. From the time of its opening in 1894, the West Highland Railway was worked throughout by the electric token system. The semaphore signals were removed in November 1985 in preparation for the introduction of Radio Electronic Token Block (RETB). At the same time, the loop points came under the control of ground frames. The RETB system was commissioned between Upper Tyndrum and Fort William Junction on 29 May 1988. This resulted in the closure of Corrour signal box and others on that part of the route. The RETB is controlled from a Signalling Centre at Banavie railway station.
The station, and the nearby mountain Leum Uilleim, gained fame when they were featured in a scene from the film Trainspotting. It also appeared in the fourth episode of the 2010 BBC series Secret Britain. The station also featured in the Young Guns (band) video for the single "Weight Of The World". The station is the primary location in Jos Stelling's film De Wisselwachter.