Achanalt railway station

Achanalt railway station is a geographically remote railway station on the Kyle of Lochalsh Line, serving the village of Achanalt in the north of Scotland. The station is 21 miles 34 chains (34.5 km) from Dingwall, between Lochluichart and Achnasheen.[4] ScotRail, who manage the station, operate all services.

Achanalt

Scottish Gaelic: Achadh nan Allt[1]
National Rail
General information
LocationAchanalt, Highland
Scotland
Coordinates57°36′35″N 4°54′49″W / 57.6096°N 4.9135°W / 57.6096; -4.9135
Grid referenceNH260614
Managed byScotRail
Platforms1
Other information
Station codeAAT[2]
History
Original companyDingwall and Skye Railway
Pre-groupingHighland Railway
Post-groupingLMSR
Key dates
19 August 1870[3]Station opened
Passengers
2018/19Decrease 394
2019/20Decrease 326
2020/21Decrease 26
2021/22Increase 342
2022/23Decrease 282
Notes
Passenger statistics from the Office of Rail and Road

History edit

 
The station seen in 1970

The station was opened by the Dingwall and Skye Railway on 19 August 1870, but operated from the outset by the Highland Railway.[5] It may have originally been known as Achanault, prior to 1877.[6]

Facilities edit

Facilities here, as with many other stations down the line, are minimal, comprising just a shelter, some bike racks and a small car park. The station is step-free to the car park.[7] 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 Achanalt in the 2022–23 period was Dingwall, making up 204 of the 282 journeys (72.3%).[8]

Passenger Volume at Achanalt[8]
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 186 192 198 173 208 230 202 200 162 164 228 482 312 424 434 394 326 26 342 282

The statistics cover twelve month periods that start in April.

Services edit

Four trains each way call (on request) on weekdays/Saturdays, and one each way all year on Sundays, plus a second from May to late September only.[9][10]

Preceding station   National Rail Following station
Lochluichart   ScotRail
Kyle of Lochalsh Line
  Achnasheen
  Historical railways  
Lochluichart (Old)
Line open; Station closed
  Highland Railway
Dingwall and Skye Railway
  Achnasheen
Line and Station open

References edit

  1. ^ Brailsford 2017, Gaelic/English Station Index.
  2. ^ Deaves, Phil. "Railway Codes". railwaycodes.org.uk. Retrieved 27 September 2022.
  3. ^ 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. ^ Butt 1995.
  6. ^ Quick 2022, p. 44.
  7. ^ "National Rail Enquiries -". www.nationalrail.co.uk. Retrieved 23 August 2022.
  8. ^ a b "Estimates of station usage | ORR Data Portal". dataportal.orr.gov.uk. Retrieved 24 December 2023.
  9. ^ eNRT May 2022 Edition, Table 219
  10. ^ eNRT December 2021 Edition, Table 219

Bibliography edit

External links edit