Georgemas Junction railway station

Georgemas Junction
Looking west towards Halkirk village, and the line to Thurso (right).
Location
Place	Halkirk
Local authority	Highland
Coordinates	58.514°N 3.452°W / 58.514; -3.452
Operations
Station code	GGJ
Managed by	First ScotRail
Number of platforms	2
Live arrivals/departures and station information from National Rail Enquiries
Annual rail passenger usage
2002/03 *	1,129
2004/05 *	1,108
2005/06 *	1,018
2006/07 *	989
2007/08 *	893
2008/09 *	1,790
2009/10 *	1,482
History
1874	Opened
National Rail - UK railway stations
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
* Annual estimated passenger usage based on sales of tickets in stated financial year(s) which end or originate at Georgemas Junction from Office of Rail Regulation statistics. Please note: methodology may vary year on year.

"GGJ" redirects here. For the game developer event, see Global Game Jam.

Georgemas Junction railway station is a railway station serving the village of Halkirk and its surrounding areas in the Highland council area, northern Scotland. The station is on the Far North Line, within the historic county of Caithness. Georgemas Junction is the junction of the Thurso branch from the Inverness-Wick line. The junction is the most northerly railway junction in the United Kingdom.

Operation

Until diesel multiple unit trains were introduced in the early 1990s, all trains on the Far North Line were locomotive hauled (latterly by Class 37 locomotives). Northbound passenger trains would divide at Georgemas Junction, with the rear portion for Thurso and the front portion for Wick. A locomotive was stabled at Georgemas Junction to haul the Thurso carriages.

Following the introduction of Class 156 diesel multiple units on the line, trains were always composed of two trainsets (four cars) and at Georgemas, these would split in half with the front portion heading to Wick, the rear to Thurso.

This practice was halted with the introduction of Class 158 sets which operated as single sets. On arrival at Georgemas Junction from Inverness, trains must reverse to reach Thurso. The train then operates from Thurso back to Georgemas Junction and on to Wick. An easement to the National Routeing Guide allows passengers for Wick to stay on the train between Georgemas Junction and Thurso, which would otherwise technically be off-route.

Preceding station	National Rail			Following station
Scotscalder		First ScotRail Far North Line		Wick
Thurso
	Historical railways
Halkirk station closed; line open		Sutherland and Caithness Railway Highland Railway		Bower station closed; line open
Hoy station closed; line open

References

Sources

• Butt, R. V. J. (1995). The Directory of Railway Stations: details every public and private passenger station, halt, platform and stopping place, past and present (1st ed.). Sparkford: Patrick Stephens Ltd. ISBN 1-8526-0508-1. OCLC 60251199. 
• Jowett, Alan (March 1989). Jowett's Railway Atlas of Great Britain and Ireland: From Pre-Grouping to the Present Day (1st ed.). Sparkford: Patrick Stephens Ltd. ISBN 1-8526-0086-1. OCLC 22311137.