Aberdeen to Inverness Line

Aberdeen to Inverness Line
A ScotRail train at Inverurie station
Overview
Type	Rural
System	National Rail
Status	Operational
Locale	Aberdeenshire Highland Scotland
Termini	Inverness Aberdeen
Stations	10
Operation
Opened	1858
Owner	Network Rail
Operator(s)	First ScotRail
Character	Rural
Rolling stock	Class 158 "Express Sprinter"
Technical
No. of tracks	1 - 2
Track gauge	Standard gauge 1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in)

The Aberdeen to Inverness Line is a railway line in Scotland linking Aberdeen and Inverness.

History

The line was built in three parts:-

• Inverness and Nairn Railway between Inverness and Nairn, opened on 5 November 1855.
• Inverness and Aberdeen Junction Railway between Nairn and Keith in 1858.
• Great North of Scotland Railway 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 Canal.

A Highland Railway 'Clan Goods' locomotive at Forres

Most of the line is single-track, one exception is part of the line between Insch and Huntly, which is double-track.

The first two merged to form the Highland Railway. 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.

Since 1948

Many intermediate stations were closed at various dates in the 1950s and 1960s to both passenger and goods traffic. The 1963 Reshaping of British Railways report recommended the closure of Inverurie and Insch stations but these remain open. Dyce station was reopened to serve Aberdeen Airport.

A new freight interchange known as Raith's Farm was opened in 2009 at Dyce.

Current services

Aberdeen to Inverness Line
Legend Kyle of Lochalsh Line / Far North Line Rose Street & Welsh's Bridge Junctions Inverness ( Bus link to Inverness Airport) Millburn Junction Highland Main Line Nairn Forres Elgin Keith and Dufftown Railway Keith Town Keith Huntly Insch Inverurie Dyce ( 80 Dyce Airlink to Aberdeen Airport) Aberdeen (NorthLink ferry to Orkney and Shetland) Glasgow to Aberdeen Line / Edinburgh to Aberdeen Line

Passenger services are operated by First ScotRail. There is some limited freight traffic, with Elgin retaining a goods yard, whilst Keith, Huntly and Inverurie retain smaller, less frequently used goods yards.^{[citation needed]} Raith's Farm freight yard at Dyceserves Aberdeen.

The line serves the following stations:

Station	Grid reference
	and other notes
Aberdeen	NJ941058
	Connection with the Edinburgh to Aberdeen Line
	Connection with the Glasgow to Aberdeen Line
	Connection with the Caledonian Sleeper to London Euston
	Connection with NorthLink Ferries to Orkney and Shetland
Dyce	NJ884128
	Connection with 80 Dyce Airlink shuttle bus to Aberdeen Airport
Inverurie	NJ775218
Insch	NJ629275
Huntly	NJ535396
Keith	NJ429516
	Connection with the preserved Keith and Dufftown Railway
Elgin	NJ218621
Forres	NJ029589
Nairn	NH881560
Inverness	NH667454
	Connections with the Highland Main Line, the Far North Line and, via Dingwall on the Far North Line, the Kyle of Lochalsh Line
	Connection with the Caledonian Sleeper to London Euston
	Bus connection to Inverness Airport

Future plans

There are currently plans to extend some of the services and increase the frequency of trains between Inverurie and Aberdeen. This will be part of the Aberdeen Crossrail project.

External links

• Inverness-Aberdeen Timetable 14-12-08 to 16-05-09