Beauly railway station

Beauly National Rail
Scottish Gaelic: A' Mhanachainn
Location
Place Beauly
Local authority Highland
Coordinates 57°28′42″N 4°28′12″W / 57.4783°N 4.4699°W / 57.4783; -4.4699Coordinates: 57°28′42″N 4°28′12″W / 57.4783°N 4.4699°W / 57.4783; -4.4699
Grid reference NH520457
Operations
Station code BEL
Managed by Abellio ScotRail
Number of platforms 1
Live arrivals/departures, station information and onward connections
from National Rail Enquiries
Annual rail passenger usage*
2004/05  26,616
2005/06 Increase 28,384
2006/07 Increase 35,860
2007/08 Increase 41,878
2008/09 Increase 52,422
2009/10 Decrease 51,094
2010/11 Decrease 49,858
2011/12 Increase 54,540
2012/13 Increase 55,236
2013/14 Increase 57,946
History
Original company Inverness and Ross-shire Railway
Pre-grouping Highland Railway
Post-grouping London, Midland and Scottish Railway
11 June 1862 Opened
13 June 1960 Closed
15 April 2002 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 Beauly from Office of Rail and Road statistics. Methodology may vary year on year.
UK Railways portal

Beauly railway station serves the village of Beauly in the Highland council area of Scotland. It is the first stop after leaving Inverness station, heading north on the Kyle of Lochalsh Line and the Far North Line.

History

Beauly station in 1961

The Inverness and Ross-shire Railway, which was to be a line between Inverness and Invergordon, was authorised in 1860, and opened in stages.[1] The first section, that between Inverness and Dingwall, opened on 11 June 1862,[2] and one of the original stations was that at Beauly.[3] It had two platforms and a passing loop.

The station closed a nearly a century later, on 13 June 1960,[3] along with most of the others between Inverness and Bonar Bridge. This was due to increasing competition from motorbuses, particularly those of Highland Omnibuses Ltd.[4]

Following a local campaign, the station was reopened in 2002. A new platform, shelter and car park were built in a £250,000 project.[5] The platform is the shortest in Great Britain, only long enough for a single carriage and measuring 15.06 metres (49.4 ft) in 2013 compared with Conon Bridge's 15.08 metres (49.5 ft).[6] Normally operated by Class 158 trains, there is only one door in operation. Announcements are made on the train as to which door this will be. The original station building is now used for offices and housing.

The reopening of the station led to 75% of local commuters switching from road to rail.[7] Beauly has therefore provided a boost to campaigns to open small basic local stations. In 2007/8 with its population of just 1,164 Beauly's usage to population ratio (36 annual journeys per head) ranked as one of the highest in Britain.

Plans to reopen nearby Conon Bridge railway station in a similar style[8] were fulfilled on 8 February 2013.[9]

Services

Preceding station National Rail Following station
Inverness   Abellio ScotRail
Kyle of Lochalsh Line
Far North Line		   Muir of Ord
Historical railways
Clunes
Line open, station closed		   Highland Railway
Inverness and Ross-shire Railway		   Muir of Ord
Line and station open

References

  1. ↑ Vallance, H.A.; Clinker, C.R.; Lambert, Anthony J. (1985) [1938]. The Highland Railway (4th ed.). Newton Abbot: David & Charles. p. 31. ISBN 0-946537-24-0.
  2. ↑ Vallance, Clinker & Lambert 1985, p. 32
  3. 1 2 Butt, R.V.J. (1995). The Directory of Railway Stations. Yeovil: Patrick Stephens Ltd. p. 30. ISBN 1-85260-508-1. R508.
  4. ↑ Vallance, Clinker & Lambert 1985, p. 161
  5. ↑ "Full steam ahead for Beauly Station". Highland Council. 15 April 2002. Archived from the original on 26 Jun 2002. Retrieved 23 September 2012.
  6. ↑ Milner, Chris (August 2013). "Size matters: Beauly has the shortest platform". The Railway Magazine 159 (1,348): 88.
  7. ↑ "Railway link proposed for airport". BBC News. 17 July 2006. Retrieved 23 September 2012.
  8. ↑ "Inverness to Plockton". Great British Railway Journeys. Series 4. Episode 14. 2013-01-24. BBC. Retrieved 2013-01-24.
  9. ↑ "Conan Bridge (sic) station open after 50 years". Rail Technology Magazine. Cognitive Publishing Ltd. 12 February 2013. Archived from the original on 15 February 2013. Retrieved 15 February 2013.

External links

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