Jump to content

Achnasheen railway station

Coordinates: 57°34′45″N 5°04′20″W / 57.5793°N 5.0723°W / 57.5793; -5.0723
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Achnasheen

Scottish Gaelic: Achadh na Sìne[1]
National Rail
General information
LocationAchnasheen, Highland
Scotland
Coordinates57°34′45″N 5°04′20″W / 57.5793°N 5.0723°W / 57.5793; -5.0723
Grid referenceNH164585
Managed byScotRail
Platforms2
Other information
Station codeACN[2]
ClassificationDfT category F2
History
Opened19 August 1870[3]
Original companyDingwall and Skye Railway
Pre-groupingHighland Railway
Post-groupingLMSR
Passengers
2018/19Decrease 3,284
2019/20Decrease 3,234
2020/21Decrease 620
2021/22Increase 2,420
2022/23Increase 3,302
Notes
Passenger statistics from the Office of Rail and Road

Achnasheen railway station is a remote railway station on the Kyle of Lochalsh Line, serving the village of Achnasheen in the north of Scotland. The station is 27 miles 72 chains (44.9 km) from Dingwall, between Achanalt and Achnashellach.[4] ScotRail, who manage the station, operate all services.

History

[edit]
Loco-hauled trains pass at Achnasheen, September 1973

The station was opened by the Dingwall and Skye Railway on 19 August 1870,[3] but operated from the outset by the Highland Railway. The station hotel was built by Alexander Ross and opened in 1871. It was extended by William Roberts in 1898[5] and again at the turn of the 21st century.

It was once an important railhead, handling passengers, mail and freight bound for parts of Wester Ross, including Gairloch and the Loch Torridon area.[citation needed]

Facilities

[edit]

Facilities here are very basic, consisting of shelters and benches on both platforms on both platforms, and a help point on platform 1, adjacent to a small car park. Unusually, for such a rural location, there are accessible toilets at the station.[6] As there are no facilities to purchase tickets, passengers must buy one in advance, or from the guard on the train.

Passenger volume

[edit]

The main origin or destination station for journeys to or from Achnasheen in the 2022–23 period was Inverness, making up 1,936 of the 3,302 journeys (58.6%).[7]

Passenger Volume at Achnasheen[7]
2002–03 2004–05 2005–06 2006–07 2007–08 2008–09 2009–10 2010–11 2011–12 2012–13 2013–14 2014–15 2015–16 2016–17 2017–18 2018–19 2019–20 2020–21 2021–22 2022–23
Entries and exits 2,147 2,379 2,471 2,697 2,974 3,202 3,614 3,698 3,998 3,566 3,972 3,722 3,700 3,076 3,310 3,284 3,234 620 2,420 3,302

The statistics cover twelve month periods that start in April.

Services

[edit]
A First ScotRail train departing Achnasheen station with a service bound for Kyle of Lochalsh

There are four trains a day in each direction (one on Sundays in winter, two in summer, depending on the time of year) stopping here, connecting Achnasheen with all stations between Inverness and Kyle of Lochalsh.[8][9]

Preceding station National Rail National Rail Following station
Achanalt   ScotRail
Kyle of Lochalsh Line
  Achnashellach
  Historical railways  
Achanalt
Line and Station open
  Highland Railway
Dingwall and Skye Railway
  Glencarron Platform
Line open; Station closed

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Brailsford 2017, Gaelic/English Station Index.
  2. ^ Deaves, Phil. "Railway Codes". railwaycodes.org.uk. Retrieved 27 September 2022.
  3. ^ a b Butt (1995)
  4. ^ Bridge, Mike, ed. (2017). TRACKatlas of Mainland Britain: A Comprehensive Geographic Atlas Showing the Rail Network of Great Britain (3rd ed.). Sheffield: Platform 5 Publishing Ltd. p. 98. ISBN 978-1909431-26-3.
  5. ^ The Buildings of Scotland: Highlands: John Gifford. Yale University Press 2003. ISBN 0300096259 p.380
  6. ^ "National Rail Enquiries -". www.nationalrail.co.uk. Retrieved 24 August 2022.
  7. ^ a b "Estimates of station usage | ORR Data Portal". dataportal.orr.gov.uk. Retrieved 24 December 2023.
  8. ^ GB eNRT May 2016, Table 239
  9. ^ eNRT December 2021 Edition, Table 219

Bibliography

[edit]
[edit]