Aberdeen to Inverness Line
Encyclopedia
The Aberdeen to Inverness Line is a railway line in Scotland
linking Aberdeen
and Inverness
.
. There is some limited freight traffic, with Elgin retaining a goods yard, whilst Keith, Huntly and Inverurie retain smaller, less frequently used goods yards. A new freight interchange has been constructed at Dyce (Raiths Farm) which began operation in 2009
The route serves the following cities, towns and villages (Ordnance Survey
grid references
for stations):
Most of the line is single-track, one exception is part of the line between Insch and Huntly, which is double-track.
. 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.
.
and Aberdeen
. This will be part of the Aberdeen Crossrail
project.
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
linking Aberdeen
Aberdeen
Aberdeen is Scotland's third most populous city, one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas and the United Kingdom's 25th most populous city, with an official population estimate of ....
and Inverness
Inverness
Inverness is a city in the Scottish Highlands. It is the administrative centre for the Highland council area, and is regarded as the capital of the Highlands of Scotland...
.
Current services
Passenger services are operated by First ScotRailFirst ScotRail
ScotRail Railways Ltd. is the FirstGroup-owned train operating company running domestic passenger trains within Scotland, northern England and the cross-border Caledonian Sleeper service to London using the brand ScotRail which is the property of the Scottish Government...
. There is some limited freight traffic, with Elgin retaining a goods yard, whilst Keith, Huntly and Inverurie retain smaller, less frequently used goods yards. A new freight interchange has been constructed at Dyce (Raiths Farm) which began operation in 2009
The route serves the following cities, towns and villages (Ordnance Survey
Ordnance Survey
Ordnance Survey , an executive agency and non-ministerial government department of the Government of the United Kingdom, is the national mapping agency for Great Britain, producing maps of Great Britain , and one of the world's largest producers of maps.The name reflects its creation together with...
grid references
British national grid reference system
The Ordnance Survey National Grid reference system is a system of geographic grid references used in Great Britain, different from using latitude and longitude....
for stations):
| Places | Grid references |
| and other notes | |
| Aberdeen Aberdeen Aberdeen is Scotland's third most populous city, one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas and the United Kingdom's 25th most populous city, with an official population estimate of .... |
|
| Connection with the Edinburgh to Aberdeen Line Edinburgh to Aberdeen Line The Edinburgh to Aberdeen Line is a railway line linking Edinburgh with Aberdeen via the Forth Bridge, the Tay Bridge and Dundee. Also it serves as an extension to the East Coast Main Line and the Cross Country Route... |
|
| Connection with the Glasgow to Aberdeen Line Glasgow to Aberdeen Line The Glasgow to Aberdeen Line is a railway line linking Glasgow with Aberdeen via Stirling, Perth and Dundee.- Route :Most of the route is shared with other services:* Glasgow to Edinburgh via Falkirk Line between Glasgow Queen Street and Greenhill Junction... |
|
| Connection with the Caledonian Sleeper Caledonian Sleeper The Caledonian Sleeper is a sleeper train service operated by First ScotRail and one of only two remaining sleeper services running on the railways of Great Britain, the other being the Night Riviera.... to London Euston Euston railway station Euston railway station, also known as London Euston, is a central London railway terminus in the London Borough of Camden. It is the sixth busiest rail terminal in London . It is one of 18 railway stations managed by Network Rail, and is the southern terminus of the West Coast Main Line... |
|
| Connection with NorthLink Ferries Northlink Ferries NorthLink Ferries operates daily ferry services between mainland Scotland and the northern archipelagos of Orkney and Shetland. NorthLink Ferries is a wholly owned subsidiary of David MacBrayne Ltd, whose sole shareholder is the Scottish Government.-History:... to Orkney and Shetland |
|
| Dyce Dyce Dyce is a civil parish and suburb of Aberdeen, Scotland, about north west of Aberdeen city centre, and best known as the location of the city's airport. It is on the River Don.- History :... |
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| Connection with 80 Dyce Airlink 80 Dyce Airlink 80 Dyce Airlink is a shuttle bus service operated by First Aberdeen and Central Coaches. Until 2011, the service was fully operated by First Aberdeen, but Central Coaches took over took over the services Mondays to Fridays. First Aberdeen operates the X80 on Saturdays.-80:The 80 is operated by... shuttle bus to Aberdeen Airport Aberdeen Airport Aberdeen Airport is an international airport, located at Dyce, a suburb of Aberdeen, Scotland, approximately northwest of Aberdeen city centre. 2.76 million passengers used Aberdeen Airport in 2010, a reduction of 7.4% compared with 2009, making it the 15th busiest airport in the UK... |
|
| Inverurie Inverurie Inverurie is a Royal Burgh and town in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, approximately north west of Aberdeen on the A96 road and is served by Inverurie railway station on the Aberdeen to Inverness Line... |
|
| Insch Insch Insch is a village in Garioch, Aberdeenshire, Scotland. It is located approximately from the city of Aberdeen.-Etymology:The name of the village may have come from the Scottish Gaelic innis, meaning an island, or, as in this context, a piece of terra firma in a marsh... |
|
| Huntly | |
| Keith | |
| Connection with the preserved Heritage railway thumb|right|the Historical [[Khyber train safari|Khyber Railway]] goes through the [[Khyber Pass]], [[Pakistan]]A heritage railway , preserved railway , tourist railway , or tourist railroad is a railway that is run as a tourist attraction, in some cases by volunteers, and... Keith and Dufftown Railway Keith and Dufftown Railway The Keith and Dufftown Railway is a heritage railway in Scotland, running for from Keith Town railway station, Keith to Dufftown railway station, Dufftown via Drummuir .... |
|
| Elgin Elgin, Moray Elgin is a former cathedral city and Royal Burgh in Moray, Scotland. It is the administrative and commercial centre for Moray. The town originated to the south of the River Lossie on the higher ground above the flood plain. Elgin is first documented in the Cartulary of Moray in 1190... |
|
| Forres Forres Forres , is a town and former royal burgh situated in the north of Scotland on the Moray coast, approximately 30 miles east of Inverness. Forres has been a winner of the Scotland in Bloom award on several occasions... |
|
| Nairn Nairn Nairn is a town and former burgh in the Highland council area of Scotland. It is an ancient fishing port and market town around east of Inverness... |
|
| Inverness Inverness Inverness is a city in the Scottish Highlands. It is the administrative centre for the Highland council area, and is regarded as the capital of the Highlands of Scotland... |
|
| Connections with the Highland Main Line Highland Main Line The Highland Main Line is a railway line in Scotland. It is long and runs through the Scottish Highlands linking a series of small towns and villages with Perth at one end and Inverness at the other. Today, services between Inverness and Edinburgh, Glasgow and London use the line... , the Far North Line Far North Line The Far North Line is a rural railway line entirely within the Highland area of Scotland, extending from Inverness to Thurso and Wick.- Route :... and, via Dingwall Dingwall Dingwall is a town and former royal burgh in the Highland council area of Scotland. It has a population of 5,026. It was formerly an east-coast harbor but now lies inland. Dingwall Castle was once the biggest castle north of Stirling. On the town's present-day outskirts lies Tulloch Castle, parts... on the Far North Line, the Kyle of Lochalsh Line Kyle of Lochalsh Line The Kyle of Lochalsh Line is a primarily single track railway line in the Scottish Highlands, running from Dingwall to Kyle of Lochalsh. The population along the route is sparse in nature, but the scenery is beautiful and can be quite dramatic, the Kyle line having been likened to a symphony in... |
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| Connection with the Caledonian Sleeper Caledonian Sleeper The Caledonian Sleeper is a sleeper train service operated by First ScotRail and one of only two remaining sleeper services running on the railways of Great Britain, the other being the Night Riviera.... to London Euston Euston railway station Euston railway station, also known as London Euston, is a central London railway terminus in the London Borough of Camden. It is the sixth busiest rail terminal in London . It is one of 18 railway stations managed by Network Rail, and is the southern terminus of the West Coast Main Line... |
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| Bus connection to Inverness Airport Inverness Airport Inverness Airport is an international airport situated at Dalcross, north east of the city of Inverness in Highland, Scotland. The airport is the main gateway for travellers to the north of Scotland with a wide range of scheduled services throughout the United Kingdom and Ireland, and limited... |
Construction
The line was built in three parts:-- Inverness and Nairn RailwayInverness and Nairn RailwayThe Inverness and Nairn Railway was a railway worked by, and later absorbed by the Inverness and Aberdeen Junction Railway.- History :The line was opened in the year 1855 and connected the towns of Inverness and Nairn. Opening had been delayed from 1 August 1855 due to delays in the contractor's...
between Inverness and Nairn, opened on 5 November 1855. - Inverness and Aberdeen Junction RailwayInverness and Aberdeen Junction RailwayInverness and Aberdeen Junction Railway is an historic railway in Scotland.- History :It was authorised by an Act of Parliament on 21 July 1856 as an extension to the Inverness and Nairn Railway, the line was opened in stages:...
between Nairn and Keith in 1858 - Great North of Scotland RailwayGreat North of Scotland RailwayThe Great North of Scotland Railway was one of the smaller Scottish railways before the grouping, operating in the far north-east of the country. It was formed in 1845 and received its Parliamentary approval on June 26, 1846, following over two years of local meetings...
between Keith and Aberdeen on 19 September 1854, the southern portion (between Port Elphinstone and Aberdeen Waterloo) was built over the route of the Aberdeenshire CanalAberdeenshire CanalThe Aberdeenshire Canal was a waterway in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, designed by John Rennie, which ran from the port of Aberdeen to Port Elphinstone, Inverurie...
.
Most of the line is single-track, one exception is part of the line between Insch and Huntly, which is double-track.
Grouping and nationalisation
The first two merged to form the Highland RailwayHighland Railway
The Highland Railway was one of the smaller British railways before the Railways Act 1921; it operated north of Perth railway station in Scotland and served the farthest north of Britain...
. 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
London and North Eastern Railway
The London and North Eastern Railway was the second-largest of the "Big Four" railway companies created by the Railways Act 1921 in Britain...
by the Railways Act 1921
Railways Act 1921
The Railways Act 1921, also known as the Grouping Act, was an enactment by the British government of David Lloyd George intended to stem the losses being made by many of the country's 120 railway companies, move the railways away from internal competition, and to retain some of the benefits which...
, before eventually becoming part of British Railways in 1948.
Beeching closures
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 AirportAberdeen Airport
Aberdeen Airport is an international airport, located at Dyce, a suburb of Aberdeen, Scotland, approximately northwest of Aberdeen city centre. 2.76 million passengers used Aberdeen Airport in 2010, a reduction of 7.4% compared with 2009, making it the 15th busiest airport in the UK...
.
Future
There are currently plans to extend some of the services and increase the frequency of trains between InverurieInverurie railway station
Inverurie railway station is a railway station serving the town of Inverurie, Aberdeenshire, Scotland. The station is managed by First ScotRail and is on the Aberdeen to Inverness Line....
and Aberdeen
Aberdeen railway station
Aberdeen railway station is the main railway station in Aberdeen, Scotland. It is the busiest railway station in Scotland north of the major cities of Glasgow and Edinburgh.- History :...
. This will be part of the Aberdeen Crossrail
Aberdeen Crossrail
Aberdeen Crossrail is a proposed railway development in north-east Scotland, first proposed within the 2003 Scottish Strategic Rail Study. It is supported by NESTRANS the north-east's voluntary regional transport partnership....
project.