Kildonan railway station
Kildonan | |
|---|---|
| General information | |
| Other names | Scottish Gaelic: Cill Donnain[1] |
| Location | Highland |
| Coordinates | 58°10′15″N 3°52′09″W / 58.1708°N 3.8691°W |
| Managed by | Abellio ScotRail |
| Platforms | 1 |
| Other information | |
| Station code | KIL |
| History | |
| Original company | Sutherland and Caithness Railway |
| Pre-grouping | Highland Railway |
| Post-grouping | London, Midland and Scottish Railway British Railways |
| Key dates | |
| 28 July 1874 | Opened |
Kildonan railway station is a railway station near Kildonan Lodge in the Highland council area in the north of Scotland. It is located on the Far North Line. Trains stop on request.
The station opened on 28 July 1874.[2] On 7 February 1884 there was an accident at the station. A special fish train from Wick approached the station when it derailed and ploughed up several hundred yards of track. The fireman, Alexander Campbell of Wick, died and the engine driver, David Mathieson of Wick was badly injured.[3]
In 1952 the station was awarded a special class award in the British Railway (Scottish Region) Best Kept Stations Competition.[4]
It is currently served by four trains each day (Mon-Sat) to Inverness and three trains in the opposite direction to Wick (via Thurso), with one train in each direction on a Sunday.[5] Due to the extremely sparse and small population it serves, Kildonan is one of the least used stations in the country, although its reputation means that it has a higher patronage than would be expected. It is currently the 16th least used railway station in the United Kingdom and the 2nd least used on the Far North Line.
The station is 111 miles 5 chains (178.7 km) from Inverness, and has a single platform which is long enough for a three-coach train.[6]
On the 10 June 2018, it was announced that Hitrans had proposed the station for closure, shaving four minutes off journey times on the Inverness to Thurso/Wick route and put application in to Transport Scotland to consider the proposals.[7] However following objections by three local councillors Hitrans had withdrawn the application.[8]
References
- ^ Brailsford, Martyn, ed. (December 2017) [1987]. "Gaelic/English Station Index". Railway Track Diagrams 1: Scotland & Isle of Man (6th ed.). Frome: Trackmaps. ISBN 978-0-9549866-9-8.
{{cite book}}: Invalid|ref=harv(help) - ^ "The Sunderland and Caithness Railway". The Scotsman. British Newspaper Archive. 27 July 1874. Retrieved 14 August 2016 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ "The Accident on the Highland Railway". Edinburgh Evening News. British Newspaper Archive. 8 February 1884. Retrieved 10 August 2016 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ "Awards to North Stations". Aberdeen Evening Express. British Newspaper Archive. 29 November 1952. Retrieved 14 August 2016 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ Table 239 National Rail timetable, May 2016.
- ^ Brailsford 2017, map 20C.
- ^ "Axe looms for Highland station with just 76 passengers year". The Scotsman. 10 June 2018.
- ^ MacLennan, Scott. "Kildonan Railway Station to be saved after HITRANS backs down".
External links
- Train times and station information for Kildonan railway station from National Rail
| Preceding station |  National Rail
|
Following station | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Helmsdale | Abellio ScotRail Far North Line |
Kinbrace | ||
| Historical railways | ||||
| Salzcraggie Platform Line open, station closed |
Highland Railway Sutherland and Caithness Railway |
Borrobol Platform Line open, station closed | ||
 | This Scotland railway station-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
- Railway stations in Sutherland
- Railway stations served by Abellio ScotRail
- Railway stations in Great Britain opened in 1874
- Former Highland Railway stations
- Low usage railway stations in the United Kingdom
- Railway request stops in Great Britain
- William Baxter railway stations
- Scotland railway station stubs