Alness railway station

Alness National Rail
Location
Place Alness
Local authority Highland
Coordinates 57°41′40″N 4°14′59″W / 57.6944°N 4.2497°WCoordinates: 57°41′40″N 4°14′59″W / 57.6944°N 4.2497°W
Grid reference NH659694
Operations
Station code ASS
Managed by ScotRail
Number of platforms 1
Live arrivals/departures, station information and onward connections
from National Rail Enquiries
Annual rail passenger usage*
2004/05  6,950
2005/06 Increase 7,633
2006/07 Increase 9,822
2007/08 Increase 11,550
2008/09 Increase 13,772
2009/10 Increase 14,306
2010/11 Increase 17,782
2011/12 Increase 25,496
2012/13 Increase 28,384
2013/14 Decrease 27,796
History
Original company Inverness and Ross-shire Railway
Pre-grouping Highland Railway
Post-grouping LMSR
23 May 1863 Station opened
13 June 1960 Station closed
7 May 1973 Station reopened
National Rail – UK railway stations
* Annual estimated passenger usage based on sales of tickets in stated financial year(s) which end or originate at Alness from Office of Rail Regulation statistics. Methodology may vary year on year.
UK Railways portal

Alness railway station is a railway station on the Far North Line, serving the village of Alness, on the Cromarty Firth, in the Highland council area of Scotland. The station consists of one platform on the northern side of the railway, with only a small shelter available. The original station platforms can still be seen on both sides of the single line through the station.

The station is 28 12 miles (45.9 km) north of Inverness on the Far North Line towards Wick.

History

The Inverness and Ross-shire Railway (I&RR), which was to be a line between Inverness and Invergordon, was authorised in 1860, and opened in stages.[1] By the time that the last section, that between Dingwall and Invergordon, opened on 25 March 1863, the I&RR had amalgamated with the Inverness and Aberdeen Junction Railway (I&AJR), the authorisation being given on 30 June 1862.[2] On this last stretch, one of the original stations was that at Alness.[3] The I&AJR in turn amalgamated with other railways to form the Highland Railway in 1865,[4] which became part of the London, Midland and Scottish Railway during the Grouping of 1923.[5] The line then passed on to the Scottish Region of British Railways on nationalisation in 1948. The station at Alness was then closed by the British Transport Commission on 13 June 1960[3] and remained so for 13 years.

The station reopened on 7 May 1973[3] and then when sectorisation was introduced in the 1980s, was served by ScotRail until the privatisation of British Rail.

Services

On Mondays to Saturdays, there is generally a two-hourly service southbound to Inverness with three trains per day northbound to Wick.

On Sundays, there are usually two trains per day in each direction.

Preceding station National Rail Following station
Dingwall   ScotRail
Far North Line
  Invergordon
Historical railways
Evanton
Line open; station closed
  Inverness and Ross-shire Railway
Highland Railway
  Invergordon
Line and station open

Notes

References