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Kyle of Lochalsh railway station

Coordinates: 57°16′48″N 5°42′50″W / 57.2800°N 5.7138°W / 57.2800; -5.7138
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Kyle of Lochalsh
General information
Other namesScottish Gaelic: Caol Loch Aillse[1]
LocationHighland
Coordinates57°16′48″N 5°42′50″W / 57.2800°N 5.7138°W / 57.2800; -5.7138
Managed byAbellio ScotRail
Platforms2
Other information
Station codeKYL
History
Original companyHighland Railway
Pre-groupingHighland Railway
Post-groupingLMS
Key dates
2 November 1897Opened[2]

Kyle of Lochalsh railway station is the terminus of the Kyle of Lochalsh Line in the village of Kyle of Lochalsh in the Highlands, northern Scotland.

The station is 63 miles 64 chains (102.7 km) from Dingwall, and has two platforms which can each accommodate a nine-coach train.[3]

History

Kyle station in 1939
Kyle station in September 1973

The station was opened on 2 November 1897[4] by the Highland Railway, following the completion of the extension of the Dingwall and Skye Railway from Stromeferry. The extension took more than four years to complete due to the unforgiving nature of the terrain through which it was driven - 29 bridges had to be constructed and more than 30 cuttings excavated through solid rock, which led to it costing £20,000 per mile[5] (making it the most expensive rail route to be built in the UK at the time). As built, the station consisted of a broad island platform on a pier next to the water's edge and a chalet-style station building close to the western end. Access to the station was (and still is) via a sloping access road. Several sidings were provided, along with a signal box and small locomotive shed.[6]

Until the early 1970s, the station provided a connection to the ferry services for the Outer Hebrides. The ferry terminal at the Kyle of Lochalsh was 71 miles from Stornoway, and Ross and Cromarty council created a new £460,000 (equivalent to £8,987,500 in 2023)[7] ferry terminal at Ullapool which was only 43 miles from Stornoway.[8]

The signal box closed in 1984, when Radio Electronic Token Block working was introduced on the line by British Rail - although no longer operational it is still intact and has been adapted for use as a holiday cottage.[9] Both platforms however remain, though only the western face (platform 1) is normally used by passenger trains. Three sidings are also still intact, including a run-round loop for loco-hauled trains alongside platform 1 and a loading bank siding adjacent to this (which has seen use by timber trains in recent years). Access to each of the sidings and platform 2 is by means of ground frames.[10]

The station is located next to the piers that used to offer sailings to Skye, the ferries being superseded on 16 October 1995 by the Skye Bridge that lies close to the station.

Services

There are four daily departures from the station to Dingwall and Inverness during the week and either one (winter) or two (summer) services on Sundays.[11]

Preceding station National Rail National Rail Following station
Duirinish   Abellio ScotRail
Kyle of Lochalsh Line 		  Terminus

References

Notes

  1. ^ Brailsford 2017, Gaelic/English Station Index.
  2. ^ Butt (1995), page 137
  3. ^ Brailsford 2017, map 22D.
  4. ^ "Railways in the Western Highlands. Opening of New Kyle Extension". Glasgow Herald. British Newspaper Archive. 3 November 1897. Retrieved 15 August 2016 – via British Newspaper Archive. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |subscription= ignored (|url-access= suggested) (help)
  5. ^ The Kyle Line - History www.kylerailway.co.uk; Retrieved 2013-010-08
  6. ^ Railscot - Kyle of Lochalsh www.railbrit.co.uk; Retrieved 2013-10-08
  7. ^ UK Retail Price Index inflation figures are based on data from Clark, Gregory (2017). "The Annual RPI and Average Earnings for Britain, 1209 to Present (New Series)". MeasuringWorth. Retrieved 7 May 2024.
  8. ^ "Ross and Cromarty council vote. Ullapool is Ferry Terminal". Aberdeen Press and Journal. Scotland. 22 October 1970. Retrieved 25 November 2017 – via British Newspaper Archive. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |subscription= ignored (|url-access= suggested) (help)
  9. ^ The Kyle Line - Signal Box Holiday Apaprtment www.kylerailway.co.uk; Retrieved 2013-10-08
  10. ^ Scot Rail - RETB Inverness www.scot-rail.co.uk; Retrieved 2013-10-08
  11. ^ GB eNRT May 2016 Edition, Table 239 (Network Rail)

Sources

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